Resonance of Demons
by EnderLance
Summary: He lived a half-life, but it never did stop him from fighting on. Living years under his family's name, with swords by his side, and friends to meet, there really is no end to the amount of fun he's about to have once he departs for his new life. Riven, a human-demon halfbreed, with his friends and family by his side, soon comes to know what 'adventure' is really all about! (Harem)
1. Character Sheets

**Riven's Inventory / Powers**

Stories Included

HighSchool DxD x Ao no Exorcist x Persona 5

Identity

Name: Riven Hirokami

Title: Son of the Devil

Inventory

 **Ascalon**

One of Riven's primary blades, the dragon-slayer blade has the appearance of a European sword with a reddish purple grip, and a golden that resembles dragon claws. Riven partners Ascalon with Gram and wields it in his left hand.

 **Gram**

One of Riven's primary blades, the demon sword has the appearance of a great sword. Its hilt is black and has a red gem in the centre. The large blade is shining white and quite flat. Riven partners it with Ascalon and wields in his right hand.

 **Kurikara**

A katana with a sheathe of its own. Given to him by his father in order to control his demonic powers.

 **Sacred Gear: Rightful Conquest**

The sacred gear takes form of a cross earring, of which he wears it on his left earlobe. In it resides the spirit of a being who once lived as an 'Artificial Intelligence', before reincarnated into this new world as a dragon.

Outfit

Draconic Student

Riven's favourite outfit consists of a dark red t-shirt under a white button-up shirt with one button loose and a red tie, a black jacket with two belts (one of them undone), black pants and black shoes.

Powers

 **Sacred Gear: Royal Arcana**

Allows use of others' 'SacredGears'.  
Summon and control beings of all types.  
Negate effects from others.

 **Demon Blood**

Understandability of other languages.  
His father's blue fire.  
Exponential healing factor.  
Use of black and white magic.


	2. Chapter 1

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

 _"For him, it was easy."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!* - Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 1: The Demonic Uprising=-

 **"So, how will the story begin?"**

"Ah, simple really. The boy was no one more than an orphan. His parents were dragged, against their will mind you, into a war of devils, angels and fallen."

 **"Fallen, you say?"**

"Ah, forgive me… It is the short term for 'Fallen Angel'. Much too long, if you'd ask me."

 **"Haha, I agree! Such bland way to call such a creature who fell from Heaven, due to acting against the wishes of He himself. Amen."**

"Indeed. Of course, it makes much sense, yet I find myself utterly lost at times when striking a conversation with a priest who started taking his baby steps. Truly, you completely confuse the two terms at some point of time."

 **"Indeed… But let's put that aside! Do tell, who is the boy?"**

"Orphan, many call him. But even so, his parents live and breathe, only just away from him, is all. I pity him, truly. He's suffered quite the horrible treatment in that rundown orphanage. Don't you agree?"

 **"It's not the orphanage that is the problem. Merely the untaught children that roamed in its walls, that's for sure. But to think that they beat him up, all for the sake of chasing after their pleasures… Seeing themselves as the leaders in this stupid hierarchy, where they are the kings, and everyone else are the peasants. Such treason…"**

"Indeed. But I can assure you, the child has a happy ending. The reader who sees our lines of text would very much want that. Or, if they had been looking for some form of tragic endings, say… His death? Well, I'd very much have to apologize to them, at the very least. This story just wouldn't go that way."

 **"Ahh, a pressure-lifting thought it is, to hear that he would be fine in the long run… But I daresay, the readers are probably trying to figure out what entities the both of us are, don't you agree?"**

"You'd earn a penny for that, my good friend. Our names are not written on this white screen, adjacent to the words we speak. Of course, they'd be curious to know who we are. And perhaps, wouldn't they dare say that a man is mad to speak to a monster such as you?"

 **"But who is to say that the reverse cannot be true? Presumably, they would take it that I am a creature of sorts. One that is conversing with a man, of which in this case, is you."**

"Why yes. However, our writer has given our lovely readers a little… hint on who we are. For instance, your words are bolded. Instantly, they see you as an inhuman being. Mine, however, possess no trait such as that, so they see me as a human."

 **"But they will not be able to see, good man. They are merely reading the words of black on the white screen. If they used the glass screen on that strange pedestal, then they need only flick with their mouse. But if this was that single piece of thick plastic with other components in it, then they are to swipe their finger up and down its screen."**

"Indeed you are. I suppose I can allow you off the hook, considering that you are ever the right devil."

 **"Ah, but I can be quite the gentleman if I wanted to, &*(%^$gh$#^.—Oh dear. It seems that our dear writer wouldn't want our names to be spoiled just yet. Pity, really. The readers would have loved to know who we were."**

"In due time, my good friend. Truly, what else can I say, #$ ^$va36..?"

 **"Hmm… Oh well. If our writer wills it, I suppose. So, do tell. If there was one word you would describe him, what would you wield?"**

"A single word to call him? Hmm… Now, if I weren't at all sinful for this, then if so allow God to strike me with his holy thunder, well then. I would be more than happy to call him… _demonic_."

* * *

9 years ago

An orphan. Truly, they deserve sympathy, as they would be unable to grow up with the joys of having parents by their sides.

Such young children, born into the world to shoulder the burden of being alone.

Alone… in a harsh world, filled to the brim with blackmail, rape, hostile and particularly death. There was no mercy for the weak, as fate has said it; The strong rules over the weak.

*Bwak!*

"Guh..!" The little boy quivered under all the smacks and kicks he received from the older kids, each and every one of them having to adopt a face of rage, disgust and pleasure. He could see the same mix of emotions in their eyes, tainting their beautiful iris of white with red veins and arteries.

*Bwak!*

"Yeah, kick em' even more!" One of the older kids who wore a dirty cap, possibly the leader, commanded his friends, of which they gladly complied to, delivering more force with each kick, happily cackling as they broke bone and leave cuts on his lithe figure.

*Splat!*

One blow in particular was sent at the little boy's chest, the force behind it sending all blood from the thoracic cavity out of his mouth, wet against the mossy cobble wall. The boy felt nauseous, pain starting to hurt even more, until all of it stopped. Even so, the pain lingered, leaving behind a numb feeling of hurt and discomfort.

"Well, wasn't that fun?" The leader smirked, sending one quick kick at the little boy that elicited a pained yelp from him. "Next time, if we don't get what we want you to get us, you can expect us to be even more unforgiving. This is just a warm-up, y'know."

"But Damien, wasn't that unforgiving enough?" Another kid, slightly bald, asked.

"Not really. Sure, we gave him quite the pounding," Damien lightly touched the little boy with the tip of his toes, sending one last kick to the head before he let out a sadistic cackle. "But we could always do more. Come on."

And thus, Damien left with his three lackeys all behind him, leaving behind a boy who was painted in black, blue and red, bones slightly twisted out of place, and eyes screwed shut. He breathed lightly; too hard and it pained his chest. He cried there, in the dark alleyway, as evening turned to night, and clear day turned to a storm.

* * *

Five days later

How did it come to this?

"I can't leave you…" The little boy spoke in a rasp voice, wincing at the slight pain that bit him in the ankle. He was sure it would have been completely gone by now, but it seemed he thought wrong then.

"Yes, you can," a blond girl reassured him, holding the sides of his face as a light smile formed on her features. "This is your only chance at freedom. I will not let you lose it."

The girl was clearly very young, around his age even. She had blond hair that ran just below her shoulders, unkept. But even so, she managed to give off an image of beauty and pure innocence, something that acted as a soothing medicine on his heart every time.

And clearly as he knew, she couldn't leave now because she was part of the local church. The dress she wore very much signified her as a priest. Even then, she's never failed to capture his heart every time he lays eyes on her.

"B-But still…" He couldn't deny that he worried for her. After all the times they went through, she had been there by his side to protect him, to keep him safe, and to heal him whenever he got hurt.

…No, no sex! She just gave him food and water, ok?!

"Oh please, Damien and his boys are too much of softies to hurt a girl!" His friend laughed, brushing his hair behind his ear, slightly frowning. "I'm gonna' miss playing with your hair."

"And I'll miss you…" He whispered, before pulling her into an embrace, stifling a yelp as he felt her knee hit his wound at the hip. She felt the little body-shake from him, immediately pulling away as her face adopted a frightful expression.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry!" She apologised, until he held his forehead against hers, keeping his head in place for a while. Immediately, her worries and concerns were stifled to nothing, as she merely sat there, with her head against his.

"Thank you, for making my life a little bit brighter…" Even when she didn't look at his face, vision slightly blurry from all the tears that began to bite at her eyes, she knew that he had the sweetest smile he had on him—just the same as he had the first time he met her, as so as they have lived their lives together.

And it was because of this…

"You can't go…" This time, it was her turn to be feel scared, a huge part of her wanting her only friend to stay with her. He pulled away, and she immediately found herself wanting more of that nice sensation.

"I wish I didn't have to…" He frowned, before he immediately stretched a smile onto his features. She would have assumed it to be forced, but the honesty behind it made her think otherwise. "But this is all I can do. I promise you," he took her hands in his, slightly blushing. "We'll meet again someday. Pray to God for it."

"I-I will..!" She nodded, eagerly and sadly as the tears she fought so hard to blink back were already leaving trails on her skin.

"Alright," he nodded in return, standing up and moving towards the windowsill, placing a steady foot onto it and turning around to face his friend one last time before he jumped out. "Thank you, Irina…"

* * *

8 years ago

"That will be 180 yen, sir," the lady at the counter said politely, gesturing to the machine she stood behind, its screen displaying the same amount she had just said.

"Alright," the man, tall and muscular with black hair, golden bangs and a goatee, dressed in a modest suit, nodded, withdrawing the same amount from his brown leather wallet. He passed the money to the woman, the latter thanking him before he left the restaurant.

How long had it been since he had fast food? He couldn't lie, it must have been… what, a year? He sighed at the thought, knowing full well that one of his friends would probably lecture him about it. He knew very well that he wasn't supposed to even touch the damn thing, considering that he's been gaining weight for it, but…

'Oh well,' he mentally quipped, walking down the striped road as he followed the flow of the crowd. He looked up, smiling as he saw the moon high above and shining its valiant light. 'Well, if it isn't my lucky day.'

And of course, with his attention unfocused on the road, it was very much predictable that he—

*Thud!*

"W-Whoa," bumped into a stranger, a kid no less. He looked down, and was presented with messy black hair—slight slit of white at the left that stuck out like a scythe. He was in nothing more than a simple dress shirt and torn shorts that gave him the look of a beggar.

"What in the…" But what shocked him even more, besides the blood that made itself present on his shirt, or the many cuts that drew themselves on his skin, or the many black and blues that coloured his skin, were the eyes.

There was… no life in them. No light, no joy; as if all the boy had went through was just death. Or multiple of said thing.

The man felt pity for the child, and immediately his instincts willed him to plac his hand onto the boy's head. The foreign contact elicited a slight quiver from the boy, but he otherwise looked up, tilting his head in confusion.

"Who are you?" The kid's voice was full of caution, sparing no politeness nor friendliness as he voiced out his words. He slightly glanced off in the distance, before his eyes returned to look into the man's.

"Just some guy," he shrugged with a light smile, before his expression returned to a slightly pitiful one. "What about you though? You look terrible…"

"Nothing bad, I suppose…" The boy answered, much too easily. But, looking into his lifeless eyes, the man could very well tell that he was hiding something. He was holding back from saying something, evidential by the slight flash of fear in his black voids.

"…You're lying kid," his words forced the boy to flinch in response, his eyes wide with surprise and mouth slightly agape. "I know so because your eyes tell me so."

And just as he said that, the boy closed his eyes shut, not bothering to say anything in response. He hoped very much that there wasn't anything more brutal to be delivered at him, and all his shock and fear was taken away—

"Ha ha ha!" The man suddenly laughed, and the boy couldn't help but peek his eyes open to look at the sight. He was… laughing, for what? Did he do something? He'd ask later, seeing that the man suddenly took his hand, walking with him to the side of the walkway as he patted his head. "You're funny…"

"I… don't exactly know what I did…" He whimpered, and all signs of joy left the man almost instantly.

"H-Hey, you don't need to worry! I'm not about to do anything!" He raised his arms, a good smile having to returned to his features. Even then, the boy couldn't help but take a little step backwards, portraying distrust and fear. 'Damn… Whatever happened to him must've dealt a heavy blow on him.'

"And how do I know you won't..?" The boy asked, keeping his head low as he stared at the man with his eyes slightly shadowed by his hair. "I was taught not to trust strangers."

"Okay, I can excuse that last part," the man smiled goofily, before he placed a firm hand on his head, and he could feel all sorts of things beginning to emanate from the boy; warmth, trust, joy. What were these..? "The answer is, why would I hurt a kid who's already hurt?"

That question lingered in his mind even more than necessary. He pondered on it, but found no answer coming to him. Why was this? All his life, he had been met with nothing more than the blunt end of a hatchet, or the strict jabs from the older boys. The grown-ups weren't any better, considering the fact that they had opted to ignoring his wounds completely.

But even so… Irina. He understood the little joys and love of the world from the girl. She taught him many a good thing, but even so, he still lacked the answer to complete the question presented to him by the man before him.

The man chuckled, ruffling his hair a little bit before squatting to the boy's eye level.

"Don't think too much about it. You're still a kid, after all," he couldn't help but grin at the annoyed pout he received from the young one. "But hey, you wanna' follow me somewhere cool?" he asked, patting the boy's head. "You'll enjoy it a lot, I promise."

The boy's eyes only widened at his offer, ignoring the tease he received earlier, and he nodded twice in response. The man grinned even brighter, now rising into a stand.

"Well then, guess you'd need my name if you're gonna' call me something," the man nodded to himself, before a smile popped up onto his features—

*Fwoo!*

Before twelve feathers of the blackest night suddenly protruded from his back, all standing mightily before the boy, whose eyes shone with fascination and admiration.

"Call me Azazel, eh?" And the fallen angel smiled, one that was just as bright for the world.

* * *

Later

Azazel.

He was taught in the church by the multiple smoking Sisters that he was a 'Fallen Angel' who was disgraced, sent down to Hell to pay for his sins of going against the Lord's wish. He was to bow down to the first man and woman, but he chose not to, seeing that he was the mightier being who was born of flames, rather than Adam and Eve who grew from soil.

But that was presumably the Christian's teachings—he swore that if he were to ever talk about it confidently, and somehow get it wrong, he'd be chased all round by the angry religion extremists. That, was something he was not looking forwards to.

But shifting to the present, Azazel was revealed later on to be the Governor of the 'Fallen', fitting. It only made sense that someone of his strength be made as leader of the race.

Later on, after getting themselves a bite to eat—seeing that the boy had scarce a moment to consume anything ever since his leaving—the 'Fallen' brought him to the Underworld, also known to others as 'Hell' or 'the Nether'.

And in this world, it was very much a new experience.

"Like the view, huh?" Azazel asked, soaring proudly high in the air as he glanced at the kid he carried in his arms, who showed a wide interest in the area.

"It's… pretty," he remarked, unable to keep the sheer interest in his eyes concealed from the older one.

…Ah, sorry. I mean, _very_ older one.

"Haha, well, you should've seen Heaven, for all its worth. Place really does live up to its second name as 'Paradise'," the 'Fallen' smiled, keeping himself steady as he continued to fly—something that proved little to no difficulty for someone of his caliber.

"So where are you taking me?" The boy asked. Years of nothing more than being stuck in an orphanage did much to develop his innocent curiosity, something Azazel actually liked him for. It only meant that it would be much sweeter when he finally reveals the place.

"We're about to meet a friend of mine," he simply answered, allowing a little smirk to pop up on his features. "Guy's the ruler of the Underworld. I know you'll just love em'."

* * *

Had it been any other great devils like Satan or Lucifer, the boy would have understood. Rather, it was a name he wasn't familiar with, but he chose not to comment, in fear that he'd been beaten as he once was in the orphanage—Of course, Azazel would've never even done that in the first place, and neither would his friend do such a thing.

Sirzechs Lucifer, a lean man with hair the colour of blood and turquoise eyes. He was known as one of the most powerful devils there ever were. Ruling the House of Gremory, many could respect him for his constant efforts in securing peace between the factions, something of which was a necessary action to ending the Great War.

Then, there was his 'Queen', Grayfia Lucifuge. Silver eyes and matching-coloured hair that danced into braids, as she dressed herself as a… maid, he assumed. From what he's read about, she was part of the 'Old Devil Faction', as the faction had a falling-out, split into two with clashing ideals.

One was to dominate the other factions, putting conquest and dominance over the other races on mind. The newer faction had opposed to this ideal, putting more focus on making peace with the other races to avoid the war.

But really, the next thing they knew, was that all three factions—Devil, Fallen and Angel—united under one banner to deal with the threatening Trihexa, a powerful being beyond one's expectations that brought much pain and death to the entire world.

Tri for three, and Hexa for six. Three sixes, which makes '666'. Clever…

"A pleasure to meet you, young child. My name is Sirzechs, current Devil Maou. But please, just call me 'Aniki-san'. Right?" The red haired man smiled peacefully at the boy in front of him, eyes shining with a light that showed how happy he was. "May I ask what your name is?"

"I suppose… I was given the name 'Riven Hirokami' by my blood parents,"" The boy answered. This only delighted the Devil Maou even now, knowing that he now has a new brother.

"Good! And please, drop all the formalities. We're a family now, Riven," Sirzechs smiled, patting the boy's head twice from his workstation. "And of course, over here is my wife, Grayfia Lucifuge," the devil gestured to a grey-haired maid, whom gave a curtsey in response.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, young lord," the maid stated, voice—despite sounding flat—holding a little hint of joy.

"Yes. The pleasure is mine as well, Grayfia… sama?" Riven seemed to possess a sudden feeling of nervousness around this woman.

Of course, it made perfect sense. He was standing before two of the most powerful devils that have ever existed. What he knew enough, was that standing against these two was just an invitation for death. And he promised to meet his friend someday, so the thought of an early death was not on his mind just yet.

"Nii-san would do well enough, young prince," the maid replied, a rare smile on her face.

"Got it. Grayfia nii-san," the prince stated, mirroring her previous actions by giving a slight bow, albeit slow and uncertain as he never did such thing. The two adults stifled a chuckle.

Their warm moment together was broken as the door to the room they were in behind them opened up, revealing a smiling Azazel, who was dressed in a new trench coat, and ready to take in Riven to his new home.

"Yo kid! You ready?" the fallen governor asked, his voice filled with eagerness.

"As you say," Riven smiled, a little too shy for his own good that proved much of his innocence. He waved goodbye to his new siblings, before he followed after the Fallen.

* * *

Sirzech's Palace

Just earlier, he had taken a visit to his new siblings' office, finding them at a quite busy time. Of course, he had opted to leave, but they chose otherwise.

What Azazel didn't let him know, was that he had basically shared his life story with the devils—only the things the kid told him, earning their pity and much guilt setting in them, that they had basically pleaded for him to allow the kid to stay with them.

Of course, said child was more than happy to do so.

But after a moment of being told of his new home, Riven was very much expecting to have lived in a shelter for orphans. The thought scared him very much, seeing as how he was treated back in his old shelter. Azazel had asked him what the problem was, but revealing it proved to be somewhat of a challenge.

But, why hide it from him? Azazel had already proven his worth, and Riven was very much sure that he could trust the Fallen. As such, he recounted everything back there; from how he was greeted with a bossy caretaker, to the friendly girl he met named Irina, to the kids that gave him his occasional beat-up, and his escape.

Listening silently, Azazel couldn't help but, unknowingly to the boy, brief flashes of anger crossed his face from time to time. Treated horribly from the get-go? It was horrible! He was just an orphan! And so, deciding to dismiss all of the little's boy, he sneaked a picture of a palace onto the boy's lap.

He had never expected the new home he was going to was indeed a luxurious palace! The walls were painted a pearly white, and the windows of the palace were sparkling, bouncing off light that struck them. There were bushes that were well-trimmed, and two fountains sprayed its waters over in an arc at the entrance opposite of each other. The road was a beautiful yellow-bricked, and Riven couldn't wait to see it with his own eyes.

And when the carriage reached just at the gate of the palace, a silent gasp escaped his lips, one that brought a smile to the Fallen. Azazel couldn't help but sigh at the thought that this was Sirzech's home, so why was he the one to bring Riven here? It didn't make sense, and yet…

'Spending time with the kid isn't all that bad,' Azazel thought, seeing the bring spark in the little boy's eyes. "Hey kid, be careful not to trip on your way to the palace."

"A-Ah, right…" He nodded, ready to open the door, when suddenly a different maid had beaten him to it. He jumped slightly backwards, turning to face the Fallen just as quick. "Azazel, what's going on..?"

"Ah, don't worry," the Fallen waved off the young boy's worries with a grin, gesturing to the maid outside. "This here is a maid. She's working here in service of Sirzechs."

"Indeed. And if you are Sirzechs-sama's brother, then it would very well make sense that you be treated as a royalty," she bowed, gesturing to the path before them. "Come, Lord Riven, let us make way to your home."

"I-I…" Lacking any other words, he nodded rather shyly, taking the maid's hand slowly before stepping off the carriage and following her to the carriage.

"H-Hey, wait up!" Azazel cried out, pulling himself out of the carriage before he caught up with Riven and the maid, utterly groaning that he was left out whilst the maid merely took the time to understand her new master.

Riven felt nervous at being called just that.

* * *

Later

So, where has our young, little protagonist gone to? Well…

*Splash!*

Splash? What sort of sound effect was this for? Riven was just outside the mansion earlier. Indeed, so that's why I placed the 'Later' time jump there.

In any case, this was the sound of Riven currently taking a bath in his room's bathroom, curtesy of Sirzechs. However, this was the first time he ever had such luxury. In the human world where he was ignored and literally never existed in, he usually had a bath by, get this; falling into mud puddles.

And as such, the young prince knew not on how to operate the bath, let alone know how to 'turn' a door's knob for fear of breaking it—it would have been such a humouring thought, if not for the fact that the child has been mistreated his whole life, and held back from such simple mechanisms. And as such, Grayfia was tasked with washing the prince herself. He was insistent on not having her waste time with him, but saying that didn't change the inevitable.

And yet, despite all his teachings in the church that one should keep themselves away from the opposite sex—he didn't understand why he was taught that at all, he found it in himself enjoying this. A… bath, was it? He liked it very much, but he enjoyed it even more with his new older sister, whom smiled at every curious glances he gave her. Even if he wasn't wearing literally nothing at the moment.

Hey, he's _eight_ right now! Give him a break.

"Remember Riven, it is important to take a shower or bath at least twice per day," she advised, scrubbing his dirty hair, smooth as she could without hurting him but also strong enough to remove all traces of filth. "Understood?"

"Yes, Grayfia nii-san!" The young child exclaimed with joy, rapidly shaking his head to toss all the water he had soaking his hair off of him.

The maid couldn't help but smile at the boy's reply. In fact, she felt more of a mother with him, yet she knew she was much more fine with being his sister. Yes, technically she was sisters with Rias, sister of Sirzechs, but she couldn't help but look at the girl as more of a princess that she had a duty of serving rather than anything.

And after everything was a done deal, she handed the human child a piece of towel, before she made her way to the bathroom sink to wash any excess soapy foams present on her hands.

She couldn't lie; she enjoyed this very much. Life serving the Gremory household was already a good thing enough, but she couldn't deny the fact that having her own little brother was very refreshing. What's more, he never treated her like a maid, the only person besides her husband to do so.

Of course, she had another one, but this was one was younger younger than him, so that was that.

Turning around from her previous duty, she noticed that water still littered the prince's body, towel still folded and cradled in his arms.

"I… don't know what to do with this…" Riven admitted, bashfully as he stared down at his cold feet, not making eye contact with the grey-haired maid.

And yet, despite his incompetence, which she knew was actually his lack of knowledge seeing that by how Azazel had told her and Sirzechs about his story, she helped him with the task, a pleasant smile adopted as an evidence of her joy to fulfil the task.

* * *

Sirzechs's Palace—Living Room

"So, you are now keeping watch over a human child?" A person inquired, seating himself comfortably on a couch, opposite of the Devil Maou.

The person was a handsome young Devil, literally, possessing long silver hair that he tied into a braided hairstyle. Calm and collective he was, and the silver robe he wore on him only added to the graceful effect that he was pulsating. His regal dignity that graced the room gave him the visage of a gentleman, something of which he rather much liked being called as.

"Indeed. Azazel found him just earlier, saying that he was mistreated and the like. I couldn't just leave him alone, now…" Sirzechs frowned, instantly showing an expression of guilt just from mentioning it.

"A truly just action you have taken, Lord Sirzechs," the silver-haired man smiled, tilting his head slightly to the side. "And I will be honest, I am a tad bit curious as to how he is. Where is he?"

"Your sister is giving him a bath," the Devil Maou answered just as quickly, taking a look at the pocket watch he pulled out from his pocket. "They should be done, just about…"

"Now," the silverette noted, able to see the shapes of a young boy and his sister becoming clearer and clearer, until their very image was in the room. "Good day to you, sister."

"And to you as well, Euclid," she returned the smile from her brother with her own, before she gestured to the young boy. "I suppose you'd like to meet your new younger brother?"

"Of course. Rias may be my younger sister, but I always wanted a brother instead," a brief formation of a smirk on his face, before he turned to look at Sirzechs. "No offence, of course."

"None taken, Euclid," the Devil Maou shook his head with a smile. "Well Riven, I'd like to introduce you to Grayfia's younger brother, Euclid Lucifuge."

"It is an honour, to meet Grayfia nii-san's brother," he bowed, simply too wobbly that he almost fell over, if not he had risen into a standing position quickly. "Forgive me, I've never really done that before…"

"It is of no probelm, young prince," Euclid grinned back, earning a curious look from the child.

"P-Prince? I… think you're mistaking me, sir. I-I'm just a human commoner," he stuttered with his words, sounding quite nervous as he received the title from his new brother.

Living his whole life in that twisted home, he had constantly been treated as a fodder. It was only Irina who had seen him as a friend, and... that was it. To suddenly be deemed as royalty, only moments after stepping foot into this palace, which counts as his own home now, much to his utter disbelief, was just adding more to his befuddlement.

"Well, if you look at your current situation, it would make perfect sense actually," the silverette shrugged, gesturing to the redhead in the room. "Sirzechs's father, Zeoticus Gremory, is often at times referred to as a king of the Underworld. As such, it isn't wrong to consider you a prince, since you've become a sibling to Sirzechs."

"But wouldn't that be wrong…" Riven's voice came out as a weak squeak, a thing that did not go unnoticed by the other three in the room. "I mean, a prince is born only from effort. He'd have to learn how to rule his kingdom and people. At times with an iron peace, and the other with a heart of gold. He'd need to know how to manage the system, and learn how to protect them all. I'm not fit for any of that…"

A moment of silence. That was all there was to fill the empty void which is the room, the only sound being the blinking from the three adults—if it were maximised enough, you could've heard it.

"Wow. You really thought it through. And I mean _really_ thought it through," it started off with his jaws unhinged, but slowly closed together with his lips tugged into a pleasant smile. "I can already see that you'll become a good man, Riven. You've definitely proven yourself as much."

"T-Thank you…." Young as he was, and unused to such compliments, his face flushed from his brother's words, the only response he gained being everyone's chuckles of amusement.

"Well, I've definitely enjoyed my time spent here, to be honest. I suppose I should get going now," Euclid stood up, making his way towards the door, giving one last glance at the child before he left. "Hope we see each other again, Riven."

"S-S-Same here!" He forced out. Euclid merely gave one simple chuckle, waving goodbye to everyone before he finally left.

"So, how has things been going on, Riven?" Sirzechs asked the young prince, sipping a little from the cup of tea Grayfia had made for him.

* * *

"Very fine, Aniki-san," Riven nodded, before his eyes retreated to the floor. Sirzechs caught notice of this, asking of the problem, before Riven looked his older brother in the eyes. "It's just… I've been wondering if I've been a problem to you all…"

And that was enough to set off all the alarms.

"Nonsense! You've done nothing wrong!" Sirzechs cried out, face adopting a pained expression that managed to send pangs of guilt in the lad's chest.

"I-I'm sorry, I just…." Riven realised that he lost all sense of words, another welling of guilt laying itself into him as he realised he may have somehow injured the Devil Maou's feelings.

All thoughts were cut off, however, when he felt the sensation of a hand making contact with his head. Looking up, he saw the same face of the same maid he grew to admire in such a short time.

"You've done nothing wrong," she reassured him with a shake of the head, lips curled upwards into a soft smile. "We enjoy having you with us, Riven. Truly."

"O-Oh…" Never in his life had he been told that his presence was very much accepted, other than Irina, so it made much sense that his face bloomed, showing all signs of embarrassment, joy and nervousness.

"Indeed!" Sirzechs chimed in, bright smile that caught the boy's attention. "Having you around made this place feel even more lifely, Riven! It really does! And the best thing about it, is that Grayfia had practically begged me if you cou—"

*Twee!*

"Milord, you were saying?" Grayfia pulled on the lord's cheek, her voice flat and emotionless, as she disabled his ability of speech. Riven blinked at that; she was just rubbing his head just earlier. That, he thought, was insanely fast!

"N-Nafin! Pwease, lwet me gow!" Sirzechs cried, basically asking for the release of the maid's grip. And when she did, he immediately went to rub his sore cheek. Dear god, it looked like it hurt.

Oh wait, it did.

"W-Well, anyways I plan to go outside to get a good look around, that is if that's fine with you," the young prince asked, earning him small nods from both the grown-ups.

The boy bowed in response and immediately rushed off to the grand doors of the palace, wanting to get out and maybe get some fresh air. He liked the inside, sure, but you can't keep a kid contained in a block forever.

He pushed open the grand doors, and the sun was bright for him. The breath of air was fresh, a hint of mint in it. He eyed his surroundings, and was about to walk closer to an apple tree in the royal garden when suddenly—

*Graaaah!*

A Stray Devil, one that looked like an arachnid being, rushed to the prince, its horns on its head ready to stab the prince and watch him bleed dry.

"W-What the..!" The boy whimpered, unable to do anything as that thing rushed forwards at him. Grayfia and Sirzechs arrived at the scene, only at the foot of the door as expressions of shock and fear plastered themselves onto their faces. "A-Aniki-san! Nii-san!"

"Riven!" For the first time in forever, as she remembered, she was scared, rushing just as quick after the young prince, but still not fast enough to reach him as the Stray Devil was quicker. "No!"

"Nii-san!" He stretched out his arms, and all he could do was watch in horror as the being was just a feet away.

And he screamed at the top of his lungs, and—for some reason, raised his arms in front of him. What happened next could've been anyone's guess. But what did happen?

*KRRRAAA!*

A powerful being, born of black dust and smoke formed itself, towering several feet above him, as it bared its fangs and give everyone full view of its shining red eyes.

And his fate was changed.


	3. Chapter 2

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

 _"For him, it was easy."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!*- Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 2: Scarlet Red, with a Blue Fire=-

 **"Amazing! Just… Bravado! Such a fearsome power!"**

"Indeed! The creature came out from nowhere! And it did not need to deem the boy its master, for the fear of death in his heart instantly compelled the creature to come forth and defend him. To think, that it did not weigh its own life on the line. Such dedication truly deserves respect."

 **"Interesting… Do tell, how is that remotely possible?"**

"Surely, the readers should know by now. Had they paid attention to the 'Character Sheets' that our dear writer has provided, then they would have known what it was by now."

 **"I see… Such a fleeting bless of a moment, where he would have had his life taken. And at such a tender age… Thank the Lord for his grant on his life, Amen."**

"Amen… But now, I find myself rather perplexed on a certain topic, oh dear friend of mine."

 **"And if I may? Possibly, I could have the answer at the tip of my tongue if I so do know."**

"Very well, then. My question is this… The Devil Maou, what was his name?"

 **"Sirzechs Lucifer. What of him?"**

"It is not him that I'm concerned about. Rather, I find myself constantly thinking about his blood sister. You know? The girl with red hair, and many otaku in the world find themselves in love with. If not, then I ask for your endless apologies, for I could as well vex the hearts of little to infinite."

 **"There truly is no limit… But to answer your question, she must be Rias Gremory. What of her?"**

"She is a pure-blooded Devil who hails from the Gremory household. And she owns her own peerage. What is her rank?"

 **"She is the Quee—Ah, forgive me. I have made a mistake. Even if she were fruited into the world as a _she_ , she is undoubtedly their 'King'. She rules not with a heart of malice, or the mindset of greed, but rather with a kind smile and a loving heart."**

"I see. But I tend to have my… negative views on her. Canon, she seems to have tricked the protagonist Issei into getting him to join her."

 **"Ah, of course. She had chosen to stay her hand, allowing the Fallen to take his life so that she could reincarnate him as a Devil. Truly an unfair way to play the game."**

"And yet, she never did fail at said objective. The brunette became hers, and he fell for her. Would this story's protagonist be the same as well?"

 **" &*(%^$gh$#^, I don't see why not. In all fairness, I sometimes find myself rather smitten with her."**

"And what part of her have you fallen for? Her beautiful assets? Her kind nature? Her rich status? Her constant efforts to defeat her opponents?"

 **"Hmm… A very difficult way to word it, I'd say. But if I'd have to say anything, I would say that I have fallen in love with the part of her that she fell in love with an ex-human. She was capable of falling in love with a human, and that on its own deserves respect."**

"So, #$ ^$va36, are you trying to say that you assume that all supernatural do not possess the ability to fall in love with the same or opposite sex of the same or different races?"

 **"Not at all! It seems that I may have not made myself clear, so allow me to repeat my words. I am merely respecting her for the fact that she has opened her heart for an ex-human. Many constantly try to mate with their own race. This, on its own, shows how possible it is for unity."**

"Ahh… I can see what you mean. Indeed, it is such a pleasant thought. Unity is such a difficult thing already, but I can see it. When the wars of the real world will end, when the whites stop seeing the blacks as slaves, when the old can hold the young's hand with a smile… I'd just love to see the day come fruit. Though, I'd like to apologise should I have touched upon a rather sensitive topic. I meant to offence."

 **"One must keep their hearts calm before they are to, as humans say it, 'Jump to conclusions'. Open your hearts and mind to everything possible, and try to accept certain things rather than to push it all aside, all because of a certain ideal of yours."**

"Haha, I agree with you wholeheartedly. But nonetheless, I've no doubts that the readers are just begging for us to finish our conversations. They wouldn't want to continue scrolling down the page to continue reading our endless babbles."

 **"Ah, of course. And there is much to be expected."**

"Spare the readers the suspense, good friend. Do give us a little insight, though. I myself am rather enticed with the thought."

 **"Love at first sight… Haa, what a wonderful thought. Don't you think so?"**

* * *

Sirzechs's Palace—7 years ago

*Chng!*

"Hgh! / Haa..!" Both Fallen and child grunted as their swords met, before they pushed off each other, giving their opponent a determined glare before they clashed once more, more effort added into their swings.

"You're doing pretty good..!" Azazel chuckled, his slight laughter cut off for a brief moment as he struggled to keep up with Riven's force. "Well, maybe a bit too good."

"Not really!" He cried out, pushing Azazel a good distance away. Not stopping for a moment, he rushed in for a combo, dealing a barrage of slashes on the Fallen, whom blocked each attack.

"Hooh!" The older man seemed to be lagging, trying his best to parry and block every attack. 'Damn, kid's way too fast!'

"Hya!" Not missing a beat, he swung his sword in a few number of arcs, before—

*Smack!*

"Argh!" Getting the air forced out of his lungs, as Azazel endured the onslaught of cuts from the boy, just after he had to deal with a strong punch to his gut. 'How the hell? We just started training a month ago!'

*Pwee!*

The high-pitched tune of a whistle broke the stiffled air, as Azazel released a held-back sigh of relief before he plopped himself onto a nearby lounging chair, sitting beside Sirzechs who was reading the daily news from his phone.

"Damn it… Kid just started training… what, twenty-nine days ago? And he's already strong enough to bruise me!" The Fallen whined, leaning more into the seat. "Seriously though, how the heck did this even happen? It's not fair!"

"I'd say it's fair as it could ever be, good friend," Sirzechs's innocent smile, honest and pure from any mischievous or ill intentions, did nothing to calm his Fallen friend down. "He's practiced for so long, despite it sounding like a short time. I wouldn't be mad to say that he may as well be a _real_ prince."

"Hah, no kidding," that, Azazel could agree, as he sipped away from his coconut drink.

True to his previous words, Riven had been training himself since last month in every subject possible. Biology, physics, astronomy, music, arts, duelling, conversation—that last part was necessary, considering that he was still nervous around other people.

And as part of his training, he had been infused into the multiple comic books that Azazel had constantly brought him. Of course, there were times that Grayfia had given him a good smacking, accompanied with the part where she burnt a few of said reading materials.

He didn't understand, or realised, that the Fallen Governor had been trying to get him to read porn. Of course Grayfia had taken action.

Let it be known that she is very protective of the young prince, regardless of the danger.

In any case, just a month passed and he has shown himself rather fulfilled in many things. Not only had he begin to develop a better build whilst still retaining his lithe frame, his mind was sharpened as well. He could answer questions difficult to the mind of a ten-year-old much easier now, and he could even beat Sirzechs in a Devil's history test.

The Devil Maou felt extremely defeated, but the feeling was heavily overshadowed by how proud he was of his brother.

Already a week, and he's proven himself even more.

"Grayfia, would you mind calling Riven? We have to tell him about the visit," Sirzechs requested, earning a nod and a bow from the maid, as she moved towards said boy.

After a while of conversing—added with the sound of teeth gritting very, _very_ loudly—both Devil Maou and Fallen Governor could see the silver-haired maid and the boy walking towards them, the former possessing a look that equaled a volcano and the latter adopting a guilty look as he stared downwards.

Immediately, they could feel as if something was wrong. The air was colder than usual. This meant bad news.

"W-What?" Azazel blurted out, unable to not notice the way the mana in the air was being forced to the maid's hand. 'Crud, what got her in a bad mood?'

"Explain to me why there is a gash the length of three inches on Riven's back..?" Every words that were formed from her lips were expelled with so much venom, that should it have materialised, it would have killed the Fallen where he sat. And it didn't help that the soul-piercing glare, accompanied with the way the air began to thicken coldly around them, was giving him.

"I-I ahh…" The Fallen blinked for a few good times.

One.

Two.

Three.

*Tk tk tk!*

*SH*T!" He swore, breaking off into a run the moment he got off from his seat, not even bothering to spare a glance at the maid. "DON'T KILL MEEEEE!"

"I will not let you off that easily…" She hissed, wasting no time in healing the young prince before she pecked him on the cheek once. She proceeded to take flight and give chase towards the Fallen.

"W-W-Will Azazel be alright..?" Riven asked, unsure what to say or do in this situation.

"Well, Riven, this is exactly why I reasoned with Azazel not to spar with you…" Sirzechs's grin was small, yet it displayed every fear he held in his heart towards his wife.

And they could only whisper their prayers to the Fallen, as his painful screams filled the air, forcing flocks of crows and ravens to simply leave their woody stations, and take flight in fear.

But Grayfia wasn't going to let him off so easily.

* * *

The Next Day

"S-So, we were supposed to tell you that our sister is going to visit us," Sirzechs nervously coughed into his fist, trying so very hard to bat his eyes away from the sight of a beaten-up Azazel, who sat on one of the couches, holding up an icepack to his bruised face.

"Is it Rias?" Riven asked, earning a nod from the Devil Maou.

"Both she and I are the children to the past Lucifer, Zeoticus Gremory. So, I suppose that that makes him your father as well," at his last comment, the Devil Maou smiled, gaining a nervous chuckle from his younger brother.

"W-Well, if you suppose… In any case, Aniki-san, how is Rias like? I'd like to get a basic understanding of her, if you will," he requested, gently swivelling his body from left to right as Grayfia tended to his black and white hair.

"Well, for beginners, she is a very childish person. When things doesn't go her way, you'd just need to be patient with her little… antics," the older brother laughed, a wave of memories surging through him, all good and bad. "But she is indefinitely kind and loving. You'd no doubt enjoy having her around, I'm sure. She loves playing at times, and she's always willing to help you whenever you're in trouble."

"Wow… She sounds so awesome…" Stars twinkled in his eyes as the picture of the young red-haired heiress of the Gremory household came into mind, displaying nothing less of beauty and serenity.

"If you count out the fact that she tends to get herself into trouble more often than I could count," Grayfia's voice entered the fray, her remark nothing short of criticising. "Of course, she is a fine lady in heart, yet she has much to learn. If I were to be honest, many of which she is lacking in, you already possess, Riven."

"I-I wouldn't go that far…" Every compliment was a bountiful experience for the young child, and he couldn't hold back the blush from forming on his face. "She's still better than me in a lot of ways."

"Her use of magic is very limited, she can rarely take a loss with an open heart, she tends to spout nonsense about how she would love her peerage to the point that she goes crazy about it," at her last statement, Riven could see the way both his brother and friend flinch in unison. "And at times, I just hope that she grows to think with her mind, rather than with her breast like all those other girls."

"What?" The boy blinked, not understanding what the word 'breasts' meant. He hasn't gone to the anatomy of the human yet, after all.

"A-Ahh, forgive me for that. It was just a slip of the tongue, is all," she nervously smiled, brushing his head and eliciting a pleased sigh from the boy, much to her joy. "In any case, she will coming over tomorrow. The young lady may as well be as young as you are, but I have full doubts that you wouldn't do anything unnecessary."

"Such as?" Innocent as he was, no one was even prepared to answer his question.

An awkward silence etched itself in the room, with Sirzechs quietly sipping away from his tea in hopes of not having to say anything, whilst Azazel was trying so hard to stifle the laughter that threatened to be spilled from his gut.

"…We love you, Riven," she blurted all of a sudden, face brushed with a shade of red embarrassment—

"Me too!" That was responded with a happy cry from the boy, as he wrapped his arms tightly around the maid, which was returned back from her.

But seriously though, no one had the nerve to tell him about a girl's anatomy, or what the opposite genders do just yet. He hasn't gone through puberty yet.

* * *

The Next Day

"Sirzechs! / Rias," both siblings greeted each other with a smile of their own, smiling as they gave each other a warm embrace before separating.

"You're growing, it seems," the older brother commented, earning an annoyed pout from his sister.

"W-Well, at least it's happening! It's not fair I was born a few decades before you!" Her cheeks puffed out, her try at displaying her anger backfired, earning her only a few amused chuckles from her brother. "H-Hey! What are you laughing about!"

"Nothing, nothing," he shook his head, before rising to his full height. "In any case, I suppose that you should meet your new sibling. He is a human, so I hope you do go easy on him, alright?"

"Human?" She repeated, the way her eyebrows arched upwards showing how surprised and curious she was.

"Mmhm. Come on, he's in the living room," he beckoned for her to follow, of which she complied. "Father, Mother, how about you come with us?"

"I'd be more than happy to do so," Zeoticus, their father, nodded, placing his coat on the coat rack before stepping onto the house's tiles.

"Indeed. Ooh, I'd just love to meet our new son!" Venelana, mother to the Gremory children—and Riven's new parent indeed—basically chirped with much excitement, that she practically leaped into the house, not minding her manners one bit.

'Well, I'm not surprised she'd be this way,' their redhead son thought to himself, shaking his head with nary a comment, an amused smile being the only thing that matched his current emotion.

A moment of walking, as well as a bit of chit-chat in between here and there, they finally arrived at the living room, only to come across the sight of a young human boy with black hair—a slit of white on his left side, a curious thing to note—currently standing in the centre of the room, before he suddenly lowered himself into a bow.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Rias, Lord and Lady Gremory," he chanted, mentally cheering at himself for being able to pull off his previous rehearsal like a snap of the fingers.

And of all the things he could've truly expected…

"Awwh~!" The feeling of the young mistress, Rias, his new sister, basically latching onto him as she hugged him tightly, was anything but. "He's cute~!"

"Oh? Instantly attached to your new brother?" Sirzechs chuckled at the little preview before him, as he watched the younger boy struggle to get his sister's grips off of him.

"Lady Rias, I truly hope that you do not suffocate young Riven," Grayfia came along, speaking with a tone that suggested caution and strictness, both of which everyone were able to catch up on pretty quickly.

"S-Sorry about that," the red-haired heiress of the Gremory household finally released her younger brother from her embrace, adopting a bashful look as she looked him in the eye. "I hope you're not mad with me…"

"N-No! Not at all, Rias-nii!" The boy stuttered, looking at Zeoticus and Venelana with a nervous expression. "H-Hello…"

"Oh, dear! He is just so handsome!" The brunette chirped, pinching her new son's cheeks without so much of a care. "I wouldn't even be wrong to say that he's even more dashing than you, dear!"

"T-That's such a harsh blow, dear…" The oldest Devil in the room sobbed comical tears, receiving laughter from everyone else besides his youngest son. "Hmm? Are you alright?" He asked after his little moment.

"S-S-Sorry… I'm just not so used to…" He gestured to his surroundings. " _T-This_. I've never really felt what a family feels like…"

"Well, now you do, son," Zeoticus lowered to one knee, now on an eye-to-eye level with his son, as bright blue eyes met black ones. "We may not be the same race. I am a Devil, and you are a human. But it doesn't mean I can't be your father now, does it?"

"I-I…" Struggling to pick up any form of response, never had he thought would he have received a pat instead of a bash to the head.

"Don't worry. We'll take it slow, alright, son?" Zeoticus's smile was nothing short of wise, and it held so much love that the boy felt overwhelmed and light-headed from just the sight of it. "We'll take things slow, and become a real family."

" _Together_ ," his mother, gentler than he had ever heard her before, joined in with a single word that, despite sounding so weak compared to her husband's touching speech, held so much meaning and love that the boy couldn't help but smile in response.

Maybe… Maybe this was his chance at happiness.

"Thank you…" Riven smiled, a sweet tug of the corner of his lips that displayed the biggest joy he had ever had in his whole life.

* * *

A Month Later

*Bang!* *Sizzle…*

"So, how was that..?" Rias panted, exhausted beyond a stretch of a doubt. She was wearing just a simple pink tracksuit and a white skirt with red sneakers as she did her little training bout.

"G-Good, I guess..?" Riven stuttered slightly, giving a nervous smile as he watched from the sidelines, dressed in a dark purple gi with a red sash around his waist to keep it in place. "I mean, you're already so good, so…"

"Aww, come on! I want your very honest opinion!" The redhead pouted, seemingly unsatisfied with the answer she received.

"O-Okay… Well, for starters, it seems that you're too reliant on your magic. Not that it's bad or anything, I swear!" He raised his arms in defence, before resuming. "And it seems that you tend to let it… go wild?"

"Go wild?" Rias repeated once more, unable to understand what he meant. "I don't get it."

"Well, think of magic like play dough. You can shape it into anything you want it to be," he began explaining, thankful that his simple words managed to get through to her. "So right now, you're just letting that dough go without a shape. It's basically just a mess."

"So how do I shape my magic then?" She asked with a chirp, something that went unnoticed by her brother.

'She must be really excited to master her skill,' he thought with a smile. "Well, Grayfia nii-san always said that a magician has to have a creative mindset. The more imaginative the person is, the better they can picture things. For example…"

Stepping foot onto the training field, he gave himself a moment to ready himself. Breathing in and out, in and out… Three more times he repeated this process, before he outstretched his right arm in front of him.

*Krrh..!*

Taking physical shape, Riven's mana assumed the form of blue threads that swept from all over his body, before they manifested into a simple ball at the face of his palm.

"T-Thunder!" He stammered. Despite this, the ball heeded its master's commandment, slowly glowing yellow before shooting out at the designated spot he targeted, taking form of a yellow zig-zag and striking against the land.

"Wow! That was awesome!" The girl's eyes were replaced with stars that glinted with excitement, curiosity and amazement. "I want to do that too!"

"W-Well, simply to say, all you have to do is imagine your power taking a shape," he returned his hand to his side, smiling as he took her arm—unknowingly forcing her face to turn a few soft shades of her hair. "So all you need to do," he moved her arm so that it was directly in front of her. "Imagine your power taking shape. A bird, or a ball, or like that lightning bolt from earlier. It's all up to your mind."

"O-Okay," she nodded slowly, still blushing from the sudden contact.

Receiving a similar gesture from her brother, she watched as he backed away from, making a gesture for her to try. Heeding his advice, she closed her eyes, imagining her power forming into a ball before shooting forwards like a laser beam.

*Krrha…*

Her mana, willed to her hand, was brought forth to form on a magic circle that rotated at the end of her hand, which bore the sigil of her household. She breathed slowly now, trying to keep her focus still and ignore the world around her.

'I can do this…' Young, and yet she was already this dedicated to her task. Such task requires much focus, that Riven found himself admiring her, when she did the same towards him. 'Okay!'

Blinking her eyes open, she released a soft 'Hah!', before the ball of red energy blasted forwards, disintegrating everything it touched. In just a moment, it left nothing more than barren dirt, and—

"Amazing!" Riven jumped in surprise and pride, leaping at her sister a moment later to give her a hug. "That was awesome, Rias-nii!"

"I-I-It was nothing!" She shook her head, rather furiously if one were to describe it. The blush on her face didn't help either. "You were just a really good teacher, is all."

"Nonsense!" He backed away from his sister, giving her a view of his proud expression. "I merely gave you the steps, and you carried it out without any trouble! The credit goes to you, Rias-nii!"

"T-Thanks…" She whispered, loud enough that only Riven could hear her response.

"Riven, Rias," said children turned to the source of the voice, finally spotting Grayfia coming over to their location. "So, how goes your training?"

"Perfectly well," the redhead replied with full grace, smiling as he held her brother's hand. "Riven was an amazing teacher."

"Really? Well, I'm happy to hear that nothing has gone wrong then," a smile carved itself onto the maid's expression. "In any case, dinner is ready. Would you like to return?"

"Yes please!" Riven nodded, eyes shining brighter than the Sun and open smile that displayed just how enticed he was with the thought of food.

Fun fact; Riven loves food.

"Very well then. Please, step in the warping circle," she told the children, both of which nodded before stepping close to her.

Although, Rias could swear that the maid was holding onto the boy's body much too closely, that she herself felt quite envious. Riven was never that open with their interactions!

*Piu..!*

And where once stood a grey-haired maid, a young boy and his red-haired sister, now was nothing more than a stretch of land.

* * *

Evening—Sirzech's Palace—Dining Room

The dining room, in Riven's opinion, was by far his third favourite part of the house, first being his own room and followed with the outside of the palace.

Properly furnished with a white marble dining table, four black seats, a golden chandelier that illuminated the room, an oaken floor to give off a natural vibe in the room, as well as a sink to the side of the wall and a few armoires that held the silverware and plates.

In any case, the whole family had gathered for dinner, enjoying the bountiful tastes that hid in Grayfia's dishes.

"Mmm! Grayfia, you have outdone yourself once more," Zeoticus grinned, sharing a smile with the maid before chewing on a well-done steak.

"A high praise from you, milord. Besides, a healthy meal is the best way to take care of your health," she spoke briefly, before she took a look at the boy, who had not even touched his dish.

At this, her mind was set off to worry-mode. Did she not make something to his liking? Surely, that couldn't have been it! He had never complained about the dishes she made, so the fact that he wasn't eating the noodles dish she had cooked up served as a nagging feeling to both mind and heart.

"…Riven, are you alright?" She spoke slowly, voice dredged with much worry and concern. "Is there something wrong?"

"W-W-Well, it's… Uhh…" He seemed to struggle with his words, taking a look at a specific spot on the table that the maid couldn't help but look as well.

Ahh, now she understood.

"I-I don't know how to use these…" He admitted, holding both chopsticks in hand as he averted his gaze from his grey-haired sister.

"Ahh… I see," she seemed to have broken from her previous daze, now replaced with a gentle smile. "I suppose it's my mistake then. Very well then, I'll—"

"Get the fork!" Rias suddenly interjected, rushing off to the kitchen before anyone could even stop her.

"Well, that's one thing settled for now, I suppose," Sirzechs grinned, oblivious to the frown that formed on his wife's features, just as everyone was.

Except Riven, but he chose to stay his tongue. He understood not for the shift of her mood, but he wouldn't let curiosity take him over.

* * *

The Next Week

*Flap!* *Fwoo…*

"Whoa…" As much as he was much too shy to admit it, but the beauty that presented themselves one day, which came in the form of God's servants, was just blowing him away, as if he were a simple tumbleweed caught in a tornado.

A long time of living with the Gremory household, and he's come to appreciate the beauty of the Underworld, despite them being feared by many of the humans. What he can appreciate about it all, was the beautiful chance to meet such wonderful beings.

The Devils, those who have been told as the very living embodiment of sin itself. The Angels, who act as God's messengers, carrying out his task as he willed them to. And the Fallen, once-were Angels whom then have fallen due to sinning beyond their limits.

But even so, he's managed to befriend each and every one of them. Sirzechs, Grayfia and Rias became his older siblings. Zeoticus and Gremory were his new parents, and their bonds had grown ever more tighter. Then there was Azazel, a funny instructor with a love of learning and big heart. And right now…

"It's a pleasure to be able to meet you," Sirzechs grinned, taking the hand of the Angels' leader in his own. "Michael, Gabriel."

Michael, who took command of Heaven after the God's death—it came as a massive shocker for the boy, seeing that he had lived in an orphanage under the teachings of the church. The Angel was a—and Riven had no shame to admit it—handsome-looking man with long blond hair and green eyes possessing six pairs of radiant gold wings.

And then, Michael stepped down from his position, handing it to his fellow Seraph Gabriel. The she-Angel was an extremely beautiful woman with blond hair that seemed to enjoy curling here and there, added with her eye-snatching figure, thus making her the most beautiful person in Heaven. Just like the other Seraphs, Riven could see the twelve feathers on her back, signifying her position, despite being very clumsy by nature.

And God forbid him from fantasizing about her, not even that it was possible in the first place. The child was born too pure that even Michael was impressed beyond words.

"So, this child is your brother?" Gabriel, soft voice that mesmerised the boy for a bit before he forced himself to snap awake—due to the fact that if he ever showed it, there would definitely be a rude awakening, involving the maid herself—and to respond properly.

"Y-Yes, milady. It is an honour to meet you and Lord Michael," he curtseyed, speaking in a similar soft way as the leader of Heaven did with him.

"Well, I'd rather us converse in a…. less than formal manner," she suggested, patting the boy's head with a smile. "My, my! Grayfia was right! You do have nice hair~!"

"A-Ahaha… I don't really think it's impressive or anything…" The boy chuckled, soft blush that shaded his face not going unnoticed by the female Seraph.

"Hey Riven!" Said child heard the voice of his sister, as she came running into the room a moment later, wearing just a simple white dress and skirt. "Do you know where your paint set is?"

"Oh, I left it in my desk. Here," pulling out a key from his pocket, he handed it to his sister a moment later. "Use this with the lock. The desk would open afterwards."

"Alright!" The redhead nodded, ready to rush off to his room, before Zeoticus came from around the corner, stopping his daughter from running off. "Papa? What is it?"

"Sorry, I just need to have a chat with you," he informed her, barring a sombre look as he faced Michael. "With you and Gabriel as well."

"…If you say so," Michael sighed a moment later.

Riven didn't seem to catch up on what was going on, but chose not to pry into the matter. He was bound to ask what was going on, but it seemed that Grayfia had came upon him for help. Possibly to take his mind off the matter, he thought, but chose to oblige anyways.

"Riven, can you go to the shed outside and grab me a tool sharpener? It should be in a crate. The kitchen knife is starting to dull," she instructed him, of which she received a steady nod from the boy.

Not saying a word, he left the warmth of the palace, instantly making his way to the shed at the back of the palace's garden. It was just a simple wooden shed, with a stone door and a quart-framed window on its side. He remembered playing hide-and-seek around here, biding his time in the shed until his sister would eventually find him, which, to this day, is proving quite a difficulty to her.

Twisting the knob of the shed, and taking careful steps into the shed, he searched the inside of the dusty place for the tool Grayfia needed.

"Hmm… Where could it be…" He narrowed his eyes to stare around the room, until his sight finally landed on the stone tool, which was exactly where Grayfia told him; on the crate. "Ah, here it is!"

Whistling with a happy tune, he hoisted it off the crate without much difficulty, curtesy of the intensive training he's undergone. Stepping out into the garden once more, he began walking slowly, his enhanced sense of hearing giving him the ability to eavesdrop on the conversation everyone else were having.

The logical part of his mind scolded him so to not do anything, but the burning curiosity soon enveloped his heart, and he couldn't hold himself back anymore.

Softly laying the device onto the ground, he settled himself below where a window overlooked the living room, able to hear past the walls and most importantly, the conversation they were having.

"…can't go!" He heard Rias's cry, filled with sorrow and straight-out displeasure, mixed in with frustration and disbelief. What was going on?

"But it's necessary, dear…" Venelana's tone was soft, pitiful even. "I don't want Riven to leave, just as much as I do, but there's nothing that can be done at this point. He has the rights to be with his real family once more."

'R-Real family..?' Out of everything else, this particular topic seemed to have stuck to him the most, as he found himself being overwhelmed with surges of dread and interest. But even so, he wanted to learn more, so he continued to listen in on their conversation.

"B-But… Aren't we his family?" The young redhead whimpered, hands clasped in front of her that gave her the visage of someone begging for something impossible. "He c-can't leave…"

"There was nothing that could be done, Rias… Not ever since that Stray Devil attacked him…" The final words that left Sirzechs's lips seemed to have instantly gained the boy's attention, when before he was busy in thoughts.

"What?!" His red-haired sister was quick to jump in shock first, her outcry being the loudest thing ever. "When?!"

"It… was the very first day he came to live with us," he admitted, earning multiple gasps from everyone besides Grayfia, who was there to witness the horrifying sight, and Azazel, who felt helpless that very day.

It was beyond anything they could have ever described. Even the Great War didn't feel this bad… The very moment that the Stray closed in on him, readying itself as it raised its halberdier-like claws to rip him apart, the three felt their hearts drop to their stomachs.

And though the boy still lived to see the coming days, weeks, months and years, his near-death encounter had differing effects on his three closest friends.

Sirzechs cursed himself for being so careless, allowing a Stray to get into the Underworld, let alone close to his home like that. He had, despite the pain, actually prayed to Michael for saving the child's life. Ever since then, he had revised the Underworld's safety systems, even going so far as to personally scout the area on his own from time to time. He couldn't let the same mistake happen again…

Grayfia was heartbroken once due to having to almost lose her brother, Euclid, during the Great War. However, it was such a happy day when, on the very same day that she pledged her life to Sirzechs, that he too laid down his life for him. And to see Riven almost die that day… She didn't understand why. They had only gotten to know each other for just a day, and yet, she thought she would have gone mad if he were to actually die that day.

Azazel, for once in his life, began to think that karma was starting to strike back at him. He knew that he shouldn't have been so worried, but to think that he almost allowed such a threatening being to take a child's life, one who had trusted him with his life. And when the child had asked him to begin training him, he had instantly hesitated at first. But the fire in Riven's eyes told him enough that he was serious. In the end, he relented to his request, with a heavy stomach.

"How did a Stray get so close here in the first place?" Gabriel's voice held every hint of worry and concern. She couldn't lie, she was instantly smitten with the boy, but she could never say that. She wasn't planning on becoming a shoutacon. Or, if she were to give another explanation, it was the very simple way of saying that she truly treasured him as a friend. To hear of him getting harmed tore a part of her.

"I don't know… From the reports, the Stray named Kirma Konto served another old Devil household, before slaying them all in desperate search of power, despite his master trying to stop him from doing so," the Devil Maou sighed, massaging his temples to rid himself of the painful ache.

"But what makes it all the more worse," Azazel was the next to speak this time, sounding very much regretful. "Was the fact that his parents are still up and breathing…"

With his words came utter silence.

Riven, despite being too young to understand what 'sex' was, could still make out a few important things from their conversation.

His parents were alive, and he was going to get sent away to them.

*Thud!*

"I don't want to! / Hh!" Door slammed wide open, it still made no sense how he was quick to reach the kitchen door, despite being at the shed a moment ago.

"I'm sorry! I was listening on what you said!" He admitted, the frown on his face clear on his face. "But I don't want to leave you! I want to stay with you all!"

"Riven…" Grayfia, standing just beside her husband, shared a grim look with everyone, before turning to face her little brother. "It has to be done."

"We plan to return you to your real family, Riven. Surely, you could understand?" Euclid's voice was slightly shaky, but he tried his best to stay calm.

"W-What?" The boy blinked for a while, before screaming once more. "And what's so important about my family that I have to be sent away, huh?!"

"W-Well…" The Devil Maou never got the chance to answer.

*Pooh!*

"What is…" Everyone stood back from the table, which was knocked aside when a door emerged from the ground, with eyes on the top, and black… heads that filled out the gaping hole.

"Guys, I have limits to how disgusting something can be, and this thing definitely took the cake," Azazel's face scrunched up, taking a little step back when the heads seemed to look at him.

And then…

*Kwuoo…* *Tk.*

The heads seemed to be moving, all of a sudden, as if making way for some other beings. And true to everyone's thoughts, two beings did emerge from this large gateway, and they both watched as the beings stepped foot into the palace.

A beautiful woman with pale skin, wavy dark brown hair, and teal eyes stood next to a white wolf, with blue wisps that burned and danced around its beautiful fur.

And for just a moment, Riven found himself entranced with the sight before him, before he snapped himself back to reality.

"May we ask of who you are?" Euclid had materialised a simple scimitar with his mana, looking ready to strike if any wrong steps were taken.

 **"Well, you received our letter, didn't you?"** Everyone could hear a powerful voice—it sounded like telepathy—boom in the voice, and their eyes could only land on the wolf.

"Wait… Are you Riven's parents?" Sirzechs asked, earning himself a nod from the woman.

"Yes… My name is Yuri Egin, and this here," she gestured to the wolf with a slight flush on her face. "Is my… husband, Satan."

"Wait a moment…" Everyone seemed to be have frozen, Riven specifically, as they swiftly exchanged their glances between the boy and the wolf.

"I'm a half-wolf?!" He cried out, gripping his head with both his hands as a shocked expression wrote itself into his expressions.

Ah, innocence.

 **"Haha! No child! This is just how I look!"** Even then, no one could truly understand what he meant, so he took to explaining. **"I don't really have a form. Don't ask me why, even I don't know. So, I decided to go with a wolf's."**

"Why a wolf, though..?" Riven asked, still unsure with his own father's words.

 **"Because wolves are cool,"** he answered simply, oblivious to everyone falling down in the heat of the moment. All the tension in the room instantly jumped out the window just like that.

"W-Well… I suppose that you'd want him back, no?" Sirzechs managed to say after rising up into a stand.

"See, dear? I told you that they would think of it that way," Yuri chided the wolf, the latter groaning in response. What was going on?

 **"God damn it… Oh wait, he's dead,"** he blinked, turning to face the two angels in the room with an apologetic look. **"Sorry…"**

"It is nothing," Michael shook his head. "But your wife said something was wrong about how we thought of something. What did we think wrong of?"

"The letter," Yuri answered in place of her husband, walking to her son and giving her a pat. "My, you are quite the handsome little man~!"

"A-Ahaha…" The boy laughed a bit, not noticing the jealous looks his father was giving him.

 **"Hey, I'm handsome too..!"** The burning wolf whined, gaining nothing more than a teasing laugh from her. **" _Whatever_! Let's just, come on! Explain to them, you know!"**

"Alright, alright," the brunette stood up, taking out a letter and unfolding it. "I hope that all of you listen well."

She cleared her throat, and began reading it.

 _'Dear Devil Maou,_

 _I have caught wind that you possess a human boy in your household, whom you've taken as your adoptive brother. As what I do know, his name is Riven Hirokami, no?_

 _I wish to thank you beforehand for watching over him. He is indeed a very important person to my wife and I, as we've been searching him for years to count._

 _I truly hope that you allow us to live with him from now on._

 _Yours truly, Satan'_

"There's nothing wrong there. You wished for us to return him to you," Sirzechs repeated, not understanding the mistake he made.

"B-But, Aniki-san," the Devil Maou looked down, his blue eyes meeting black ones. "It said ' _live with him_ '. Doesn't that mean that _they're_ living with _us_?"

A moment of silence etched itself into the room, as every Devil, Fallen and Angel take their time to properly process the information.

It was all that was needed, before the message was finally clear.

"I'm a failure…" The Devil Maou had never been so wrong in something. He was always so clear with his work, and his knowledge over everything was just as extensive as a library was.

But right now, having to have been defeated by a child whose age counted only to nine, he balled himself in the corner, legs pulled to his chest as he wallowed in self-pity.

 **'IDIOT!'** The satisfying laugh he never had in ages had finally come, as the wolf howled louder than any other in the room, stomach already hurting from laughing so much. **"Oh, Lord! Sirzechs, I can't believe you didn't understand that! And it was so simple too, HAHAHA!"**

"Uhhh…" The boy, mind still not understanding how such a serious moment was turned into a light one by himself.

"Well Riven," said boy looked to his blood mother, the latter smiling sweetly in return. "It's good to be with you again…"

'What is going on..?' Was all he could truly process in his mind, trying so hard to understand the situation.

To understand why Satan was just smiling as he laid on the couch, Yuri just sitting beside him. And how Azazel was laughing away at Sirzechs's mistake, only adding more salt to the wound. And how Rias was, strangely enough, thanking someone he couldn't heart, with Grayfia smiling contentedly. And how Gabriel and Michael had opted to watching the news on the television, engaging his Gremory parents in a simple conversation.

How was any of this happening?

…Ah, screw it. He gave up on it minutes ago.


	4. Chapter 3

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

 _"For him, it was easy."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!*- Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 3: Black and White Meows=-

 **"So our protagonist is the son of Satan? My, my. He indeed holds many surprises."**

"No doubt. Though, I assure you, there is nothing wrong with him being the Devil's son."

 **"And I have the feeling that you think that I think so?"**

"Ah, forgive me… It is just that the friends of Rin Okumura, son of Satan in his own story, immediately kept their distance from him upon learning of his powers. However, they managed to repair their relationship once more, and became allies once more."

 **"I see. A good thing, no doubt. But now, I'm curious. Will the boy be needed to lock his powers?"**

"I assume so. The powers of the Demonis far too much for just a simple boy to handle. As such, he will be given the weapon to restrain the fire."

 **"To think that he is indeed the son of the great Satan. If any sane person would have told you that, and that you possessed no true knowledge on the situation, would you have opted to believe him?"**

"God sins me to lie, Amen. No, my good friend, I would not believe him. In fact, I would have backhanded him with my own hand, and possibly chide him for calling him the son of the Devil."

 **"And say that it did indeed happen. What would you do, if you were to learn that such thing actually is?"**

"Then I would venture the world, explore every crook and nanny to find the man. And when I do, I will bow before him and speak the words one will say when they wish for redemption. 'Sin me, oh Man! And do so if it satisfies you, as I have once sinned against you!' I would accept it, no matter the pain."

 **"Such a brave person you are. Truly, I can respect you for it. Not many dare to receive the payment of their actions. Such for instance, a child lies to keep himself away from his parent's scoldings. He is afraid that they would forevermore distance themselves from him, and that fear is what fuels them to lie."**

"You are right. However, every parent scolds his children, because they wish it so that they do not repeat the same mistakes. Though, if parents take pleasure from unleashing their wrath on their own flesh and blood, then only God will pay down his retribution unto the blind adults."

 **"Mmhm. I can agree with you on that. May I ask a question, dear friend?"**

"Why yes, of course. We beings are developed with a mind that takes in information. The need to know something stems from our heart, which in turn is named 'curiosity'. To satisfy that curiosity, it gives us a sort of pleasure. And on the positive note, we receive knowledge that will surely help us in our lives. So do ask, friend. Who knows? You may as well be asking a question that our dear readers are curious about as well."

 **"Very well then. What I'd like to know, is whether or not our friend will receive a SacredGear."**

"Ahh, a good question indeed. A SacredGear is a gift passed down to chosen ones by God himself. Coming in forms that not one could truly fathom, it assists them in all sorts of ways."

 **"Indeed, &*(%^$gh$#^. Some are able to increase the strength of the wielder. Some heals a targeted being. Some grants insight to objects otherwise invisible to the naked eye. Some allows the user to halt the clock. Some helps the user to overcome their needs. Some gives the wielder the ability to speak the tongues of other tongues."**

"Incredible indeed. So, you would like to know whether the boy will come to possess his own SacredGear or not? Well, I am more than happy to tell you, that one would come across the answer in the 'Character Sheets'. Be aware during your reading, good friend, and you will come across the answer soon enough."

 **"Hmm… Ah, I see it! The 'Royal Arcana'? Such a strange explanation. Of a being who lived made by man, before it turned draconic? Who do we know used to—Oh."**

"Hahaha… Worry not, good friend. Even I myself was surprised when the answer finally dawned on me. To think that she managed to disappear from her own world, and come to this one. Our writer is such a mysterious man."

 **"Even when is still fifteen?"**

"Hahaha… That he is."

* * *

6 years ago

The Devil, Satan himself.

Feared worldwide for the terrifying things he has done in his life, Satan had indefinitely contributed much to the falling of man to sin. He has, uncountably, slain beings that clearly rivalled a titan, and has thus earned himself the mantle; The Devil.

Many fear him. Others respect him. What most can agree on, is that he was a fearsome being that was never to be trifled with, lest one wishes to pay a visit to their graves at a much earlier time.

And yet…

 **"I hate spinach!"** None would have ever thought that the Devil himself hates vegetables, much to his grey-haired daughter's chagrin.

"It is necessary that you consume the proper amount of each food class there is," Grayfia chided him, eyebrow twitching ever so slightly. "Besides, you should set a good example for Riven to follow. But even so…"

Her gaze drifted off to her youngest sibling, who was busy sharing a salad of fine cheese, olives and tomatoes, as well as the usual lettuce and cabbage, with Euclid to even care. It seemed he had no problem with it, so why the Demon himself?

 **"Well, do you want to know why I don't want to eat vegetables?"** At his question, the maid couldn't help but raise her eyebrow in questioning, all the while being responded with a goofy smile from the wolf. **"Because I'm not Riven!"**

"…" Silent, stoic, and he found himself slightly shuddering at the shift of attitude.

"Father," the wolf in question allowed a mental sigh of relief to be expelled as he looked to his son, whom held up an empty bowl. "Where should I put this?"

"Allow me," Grayfia's soothing voice came forth immediately as she gently took the bowl from her brother's hands, giving him a pat with her free hand. "You're a good child, Riven. At least _someone_ is taking their proper diet…"

The wolf gulped.

* * *

A Week Later

Training was one of Riven's favourite things. Despite the painful reason he had done it in the first place, it gave him the chance to become stronger.

Plus, time with Azazel, a big plus!

"So Riven is capable of dual-wielding?" Rias questioned, a hint of surprise present in her words. The Fallen Governor gave her a nod in response.

"Apparently. He said that he wouldn't want to switch between using either swords, so he's been practicing using both at the same time…" He sighed, amusement slipped in his breath.

"Are you fine with giving him Ascalon, Michael?" Sirzechs asked, brows furrowed. "And you as well, Azazel. You gave him Gram."

Ascalon and Gram, two powerful swords that each possesses the power to overcome any powerful being. The former was a European sword, golden hilted with a red-purple grip and with the guard slightly resembling dragon claws, capable of cutting down dragons. The latter was a demonic blade, black with purple on its sides that had the necessary power to overcome just about any being.

With just a week of time, and more to be perfectly clear, he has managed to gain perfect control over the swords, and even more skilled in fending off someone with it. The only thing he had to get down was the fact that the blades were far too arrogant and prideful, thus keeping their fullest potential shackled to the boy.

Satan almost blew up a city just because the swords wouldn't listen to him. A kiss and a… _session_ with his wife instantly calmed him down, thankfully.

"So, what do we do now?" Azazel asked, the boy adopting a thoughtful look for a moment.

"Well… Would you mind if I decided to go on a little trip in the woods? Alone..?" He quickly added with a whimper, despite him knowing full well that no one would've granted him his request.

At all.

"No!" Was what the Fallen Governor would have screamed out, but he managed to keep himself in check in order to formulate a proper response. Breathing in, breathing out. "Riven, I'd rather have someone escort you. The woods are dangerous to venture into alone."

"B-But… The only thing that I'm bound to come across is just wild animals," he reasoned, his pleading tone so close to shattering his friend's walls! "Come on, it'll be quick! I promise, just a stroll. I'll walk in the forest, with my swords with me, and come back hours before tea time. It'll be like I never left at all!"

 **"Kid's already so brave… Even when he's just thirteen!"** The wolf howled, tears pouring out of their dams, before his head received a sturdy blow. **"Ow!"**

"Riven is ten this year, dear!" Yuri scolded, her husband muttering his apologies under his breath.

 **"…In any case, I think we should give him a shot. Plus, he only said that we can't _follow_ him. He never specified that we can't _watch him from afar_ ,"** the flames around his body flickered every so brightly, possibly to display how proud of himself he felt at that moment.

"I… didn't say that, true…" Immediately, the boy's spirits dropped down slightly. He would've liked it if he could've had his moment alone in the forest, but decided that if this were to put them at ease, then he'd be more than up for it. "So, when can I go?"

* * *

Hours Later

"It's hot," the boy noted, taking a look at his surroundings with much interest.

It was just like any other forest; thick, humid, green. There were so many strange creatures here, such a bug with horns on its head, or that one spider with soft wings. Then there were the little cats that, and he found this quite cute for reasons unknown, had the ability to turn into toads.

…Let's leave it there, shall we?

In any case, it had been quite the trek. He's been here for, what? Three hours? He wanted a bit longer, but he had just about fifty more minutes here. And then, he'd give Grayfia the signal to warp him back. That was the deal.

"So, what else is there to do..?" He asked himself, just wanting to do something, but then—

*Twang!* *Tk!*

"Hgha..!" What was this?! A searing pain shot through his entire body, mostly focused on the center of his back. And just like that, all feeling began to leave his body as he fell to the ground, blood beginning to dampen the soil around him. Green turned red, and his skin turned pale.

Was this it? Was he going to die here, alone? No, he possibly could't. He can't die. Not here, not now…

What would he do then?

*Rustle…*

"Pathetic… I wonder why'd the Devil Maou even chose to keep you around him…" A figure appeared from the bushes, mocking the child before kicking him away with his boot, a grunt escaping his lips.

At first glance, the child looked like any other human weakling. Short, not muscular at all, weak. He would've added more, until something caught his eye.

"What the…" His eyes focused on two items, and it seems that the child managed to catch sight of where he was looking at.

"N-No…" Riven weakly stretched out his arms to take the swords, but the figure had beaten him to it.

"These…" The figure spoke with a voice that's intensity began to grow, outraged and shocked all the same. "What the hell?! Why in the world would the Devil Maou even consider giving such a weakling the legendary swords Ascalon and Gram?!"

"I-I…" The TriWings prince had nothing else to say, unable to deny the fact that he was indeed weak. "Y-You can't… They belong to Azazel…"

"Hah, from that old fool? Well, I suppose I could return them to him," the figure cackled, pulling out a dagger and approaching the young boy, ready to end his life. "Once I dispose you!"

*Pssh!*

The sound of energy hitting a body could be heard. The figure fell to the ground just beside him, finally lifeless after all its shaking. Riven's mysterious saver walked over him, his vision slowly failing him as he slowly blacked out. His hearing still functioned, however, and he managed to hear his saviour's voice—

 _'Nya~?'_

* * *

Later

 ***Xenoblade Chronicles— Saihate Village / Night (Play Song)***

'O-Ow…' Our protagonist wakes up to the sensation of a comforter draped over his body. He felt the soft touch of a bed just below him, conforming his suspicions that someone must have found him after his attack.

Riven blinked a solid three times, before rising up from his bed. He couldn't however, as the previous strike somehow did quite the damage to him, leaving him to wince in pain as he plopped backwards onto the bed. Looking down on his abdomen, he noticed now that there were bandages all around his body. A ten-year-old boy in a random house, seriously?

After a while of rest, he left his bed to get good mapping of the area. He jumped out of the window, slightly wincing at the pain that suddenly banged his leg. After some time waiting, he began walking to the front part of the house, deciding it would've been better to start from the bottom-up.

Looking at the red house from outside, it consisted of two floors. Remembering back to where he landed at when he left his room through the window, there was a grove that acted as a garden for vegetables; he saw pumpkin and carrots growing out from the soil.

Walking back into the house through the front door, he was met with a large living room that was next to an equally large kitchen that was complete with an oven, a fridge, a microwave and sink. Just beside the fridge was a door that lead to a bathroom. And of course, there was a dining table in the centre.

The living room was just as impressive as the kitchen, having two couches that rested on opposite sides with a coffee table in the centre, and a HDTV adjacent the wall, and a shaker chair that had soft pillows of its own to comfort the seated person on all sides; its sides and the back.

Impressed at the sheer cleanliness of the area, he moved up the flight of stairs that lead to a small hallway that twisted right to a door. Opening it, it was the same room that he had been in. Another HDTV with consoles of its own, games of their respective consoles lined neatly in a row on the shelves above the TV, a large bed that was built from fine mahogany—the very same that he slept on, and a little shelf that housed multiple reading material such as books, comic and manga.

'Wow, whoever lives here is such a neat person…' He whistled to himself as he retreated to his mind. 'But who is the one that lives here?'

Gaining no response, he merely settled with the idea that whoever saved his life, was someone that he had to repay his debt to. It would've been such a childish thing, he thought, if he were to leave a debt unpaid.

'Alright, that's it. Whenever the person comes back, I'll thank him or her for saving me, and I'll do anything they'll need help with,' the child smiled in satisfaction, now left to wonder when the person of this house would return.

*Creak!*

Well, speak of the devil.

The boy jumped as the door slowly opened, revealing a beautiful figure who looked like a human, but definitely wasn't. The young miss had back-length black hair, and surprisingly cat ears with two tails at her back, swishing from left to right. She wore a black kimono that defined her figure, and a yellow sash to hold in place with bells at the side. Her smile was genuine, probably worried for him.

"O-Oh…" He blushed for a moment, stuck in place as he stared at the beautiful creature before him, until he managed to shake himself out of his thoughts. "S-Sorry. I was wondering where I was."

"Oh, this is my home," the girl with the black hair and ears explained, gaining a hum of understanding from him.

"It's a very nice house," he admitted. "I… may have walked around the house a bit before this."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Sorry if there were any mess around," her ears drooped slightly at that, face slightly flushed in embarrassment.

"No, no. It was really nice," he chuckled. "In any case, I want to thank you for saving me from whoever it was that attacked me earlier, miss."

"You're welcome. Also, quit calling me miss! The name's Kuroka Toujo!" She spoke in a sing-song tone. "And yours is?"

"Riven Hirokami, here. Pleasure to mee—" Riven was about to answer her when his phone's ringtone suddenly went off.

*Beep!* *Beep!*

The child perked up at the sound of his phone, and went on to search for it. After a while of nothing, he saw Kuroka pointing over to the side of the bed. Following where her finger directed to, he now saw that his phone was placed delicately on his swords, Ascalon and Gram, which were piled up right beside his bed. Huh.

Taking the phone from the pile, he clicked on its screen, and brought the phone to his ear to answer the call.

"Hello?" He called out, before a smile etched itself onto his features "…Ah yes, Grayfia nii-san! I'm doing great!" His voice happy as ever.

'Wait, Grayfia?! As in the wife of the Maou, strongest woman devil?!' the Neko sweat dropped at thinking, how in the Underworld does Riven is an acquaintance… Scratch that, a sibling of hers?!

* * *

Meanwhile

"What happened?" Grayfia asked from her side, scared all the same when she couldn't sense his aura in the forest no more, which was replaced with just blankness.

A little while, after hearing each recounting from the boy, whom reassured her each time he felt as if she was about to break down—which both knew she actually wouldn't, her eyebrow cocked upwards.

"So someone saved you?" She asked, curious on the identity of her little brother's saviour. He heard him conforming her question, before he mentioned his saviour's name. "Kuroka? I see."

* * *

"Yeah, she's really nice," he added, before sending a sheepish smile towards the girl. "Listen, Grayfia nii-san… I think I might not be able to get back in time for dinner or the like… So do you think I could get back tomorrow?"

Kuroka listened attentively, still curious as to how he's calling the strongest female devil in the devil realm his sister. And yet, she couldn't help but feel as if he spoke the truth, considering how casual and familial he was talking to her.

"Yeah, okay… Mmhm! I'll make sure to behave," he replied just as happily, before he sweat-dropped all of a sudden, catching the nekomata's attention. "Yeah… I'll make sure to come back in pieces, I promise…"

*Click.*

He sighed, placing the phone down as he sat himself onto the bed, only raising his head to see another person, this time a silver haired girl—who was much, much younger than him—looking at from the doorway. She was short, that was for sure, but he didn't have the guts to say that at all.

"Kuroka-nii… Who is this?" The silver haired girl asked, keeping a cautious, yet nervous glare towards the boy.

"Oh, don't worry! This is just a boy I saved in the woods!" Kuroka explained, much too easily in the lad's mind. He shrugged the thought off, perking up when he heard the girl beginning to enter the room.

"You didn't do anything while I was away, did you..?" The girl asked, the same stare she had adopted earlier still present on her features, albeit slightly softer than below.

"N-No. No, I just woke up, nothing else," he replied, mentally sighing in relief once her stare disappeared. "Riven Hirokami. Pleasure to meet you."

"…" The little girl said nothing in response, looking to her older sister, whom gave her a dry look. "…Shirone Toujou."

"Good! Now all of us know each other!" Kuroka beamed, smile dissipating—

*Ggrrr…*

When the sound of a beast rumbled in the room, accompanied with both nekomata's faces turning a bright shade of red. Riven, the oblivious little boy he always was, tilted his head in confusion.

"Where did that come from?" He asked. He looked up to the ceiling, a small part of his mind telling him that it could've come from the ceiling, until he felt something tug at his pants. Looking down, he saw Shirone looking up at him.

"…We're hungry," she told him, the blush on her face already revealing to him the culprit behind the monstrous roar from earlier, of which the answer clicked in him. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when the black nekomata sent him an embarrassed glare, of which he decided to let it slide.

"Then how about I make all of you something?" He offered, and was pleased when both girls looked to him with eyes that shone with expectation. "I can try, but hey? If this could be my way of practicing, I'm more than game for it."

* * *

Stepping out into the grove, he realised just how much vegetables there were. Besides the aforementioned carrots and pumpkins, there was a patch of watermelons and even tomatoes, all fresh and ripe for the picking.

And as luck has it, it was currently the tomatoes season, so he had no doubts that the fruiting vegetables would taste amazing.

…Yeah, I said it. Tomato is a _fruiting vegetable_. What, feeling salty? Deal with it!

Ahem…

In any case, he found himself lacking the strength to pull the vegetables out of the ground, so he had Kuroka handle that problem. Shirone, looking as if she wanted to help, was tasked with bringing them into the house, of which she gladly complied.

Afterwards, an idea popped into his mind; no doubt that they'd get bored with just vegetables. As such, he decided to go hunting, with Kuroka and Shirone acting as his trackers. With his swords in hand, he managed to get a few good kills; two deers, a pheasant, and four catfish. He smiled, knowing full well that this would indeed be a feast.

But the sauce… When that thought came to mind, how would he serve his dish? Marinated? Sweet and sour? Soy? Those thoughts troubled him, until he managed to find all necessary ingredients in the shelves in the kitchen. And fortunately, the fridge was loaded with all sorts of condiments and materials, so he'd no doubt be able to serve all types of dishes.

'Salad… Roasted pheasant… Keep two fish and one deer away, and… Alright, I got it!' Smiling with much satisfaction, he got down to work, skinning every meat there was and depositing the meat he didn't need into the fridge, packed away in sealing plastics he found in some boxes.

Washing each meat delicately, he noticed how the girls were looking with much attention; probably never have cooked before, or even see one cook before. And it made sense, being that they weren't human, and they would've probably been hunted down if they even come in contact with a human.

In any case, he got down to work, finding some lettuce in the fridge that he got Kuroka to peel, her needing some demonstration at first before she found herself capable of said task.

He started the oven, loading a frying pan on it before he placed some oil onto it, allowing it to sizzle to a good amount. A while later and he added the fish in, adding some ketchup before putting in some onions he found in the fridge.

Again, he wondered how they were able to have such a filled fridge, yet don't know how to cook.

But back to the matter at hand, after a while of turning and patting—I, the author, have never ever cooked, so deal with me—he took the fish out, loading it and the sauces into a bowl before getting Kuroka to place it on the table.

Deer meat was next on the list; he decided to keep the pheasant for next time. Pouring some oil onto the frying pan just like before, he dumped the pheasant in, adding barbecue sauce as he stirred the meat, letting it simmer until it became thick and tangy. A while later, and he added some tomatoes, frying for a bit more before pulling it out and depositing it all into a bowl.

'The drinks…' Sure, they could've gone for simple water, but he wanted the occasion to be special… So, deciding that he'd think of something, he found the idea clicked itself into him—after a moment of pondering.

Looking into the fridge once more, he was blown away with how many things it had, and he could always find what he needed in there. 3 ounces of blue Hawaiian Punch 2 ounces of white cranberry juice, and of course… 7-Up.

Not sponsored, by the way.

He recalled the details that he read from the cookbook—reading anything was fun for him, especially cookbooks. The ingredients were chilled long ago, so that made it easier. Immediately, he poured the blue fruit punch into large, chilled martini glasses—which he found somewhere in the back of the fridge, again, followed suite by the white cranberry juice, and then with 7-Up.

But just to be safe, he decided to follow the steps once more, this time using a jug that he withdrew from a cabinet.

"Alright, we're good!" He chirped, asking Shirone to bring two of the martini glasses to the table, whilst Kuroka brought the remaining one and him with the jug. Moving to the table, the girls couldn't help but feel amazed—and no doubt hungry—at the sight that laid before them. "Well, let's get eating now, shan't we?"

And that was when one little thing came into his mind, like a car that rammed into a wall.

"Ohhh, the rice..!" He paled, running to the kitchen once more, leaving behind a pair of confused nekomatas. That remained until he returned five minutes later, another bowl filled with steaming rice. "Sorry about that. I forgot about the rice."

"So, how are we gonna' eat all this?" Shirone asked, already taking a seat herself. Kuroka sat beside her, whilst Riven sat opposite of them.

"We put the rice on the plates first," he instructed, taking two plates and spooning some rice onto the plates and handing them to the girls. "And then, we take what we want and put on the plate. Add some sauce too, there's plenty."

The girls nodded, but it was no doubt that they were still uncertain of what to do, of which he decided to help out.

But thinking back now, this scene very much reminded him of when Grayfia was always there to help him out… Maybe, this was how it was; to help others just as he was helped before? He couldn't lie, it felt nice for a change, so he chose not to dilly-dally.

The meal went on, silent as ever, but he always caught the way the sisters seemed to beam at the flavours that bombarded their tastebuds each time they bit into the game, or the fish. He smiled, finding himself quite at peace as well.

And he couldn't lie as well that he enjoyed the drink a lot. Not alcoholic as they were supposed to be, but still just as delicious. He burped a satisfied breath, one that was so small that was too inaudible for the girls to hear. Speaking of the girls…

"Nyaa, that was so good~!" Kuroka couldn't help but lick the tips of her fingers, satisfied smile on her face as she beamed at the boy, the latter blushing in response.

"Mmhm. Riven is a master chef," the younger sibling agreed, a ghost of a smile appearing on her features; the first ever smile he's seen since he was here.

"Ahh, I'm not that great," he nervously scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly as he poured another of the drink into his glass and sipping from it.

"Are you sure about that? I bet you could take the world of cooking by surprise, too!" The black nekomata jested, earning herself a kiddish chuckle from the boy.

"I don't know. I mean, to me, everything tastes better when shared," Riven said, mumbling some other parts to himself, before he flashed a smile at the girls. "In any case, all of you will go wash your hands. The sink at the kitchen, you know how to use it right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just because we can't cook doesn't mean we don't know how to use a sink," Kuroka giggled, sending a sly wink in his way, before she called Shirone to follow.

'Well, time to get all this cleaned up…' He mentally sighed at the work before him—no doubt that it would probably be quite tiring. Oh well, he decided it was do or don't do, and he very much liked the place just as neat as he saw it earlier.

* * *

Night time

Falling asleep was hard, he realised. Not only had he been trying that from the last hour, he just wasn't feeling tired, or even remotely sleepy. Maybe it was because he had been sleeping for so long after being brought here to heal? Could be…

The couch was very comfy, but he didn't know why he couldn't sleep now. Maybe… Maybe because he was in some strangers' house? Yeah, that made sense. He didn't know who the nekomatas were, even though they had just given him their names. In the end, he would have to go home, and no doubt that he'd never see them again.

'Never..?' That thought saddened him, seeing as how he very much enjoyed being with them, even though their time was short. Sighing, he screwed his eyes shut, trying to fall asleep once more, before—

*Creak!*

"Hmm..?" He perked up at the sound of the door upstairs opening. He ignored it, but his ability to do so grew harder when he saw two figures creeping towards him. He sighed, rising into a sitting position as he looked at the figures. "Shirone, Kuroka… What are you girls doing up so late..?"

They flinched, realising that their covers were just blown, so they decided to come clean with him.

"We… couldn't sleep," Shirone spoke up first, her older sister adding more a moment later.

"We just… We felt sort of giddy, after what happened earlier, you know?" Earlier? Thinking back now, he understood what she meant; that figure that attacked him earlier. Where was he attacked? Just outside of their house.

So does this mean that the girls could get attacked next? That pained him quite a bit. Because of him, they were going to get themselves in trouble as well, all because he was careless.

But that couldn't possibly be a problem for these two, right? With training, he's learned to sense a targeted person's strength. And he knew, despite the nekomata sisters being quite young, they were already so powerful all on their own. Plus, Kuroka managed to kill his assassin from earlier, so what was…

'Wait a minute…' He sweat-dropped, able to sense a sort of anticipation from the girls. 'Oh, this can't be good…' A mental sigh down the drain, he decided to go with it. "So, what do you wanna' do?" Riven asked, slightly groggily, but voice holding a slight hint of fear; he had watched enough anime and enough romance books to know where this was going.

"Maybe… we could sleep together?" And just those words were enough to set his switch on.

"No, no no no!" He denied, ever so furiously as he could. "There is an extra couch over there! And if it doesn't fit, I'll sleep on the chair!"

"B-But there's only one blanket…" The white nekomata spoke in a whimper, gesturing to the comforter she had dragged with her. He groaned, seeing that he'd have to do this. This was do-or-die.

And really, if die meant running out of the house and into the forests once more, he was more than up for it. But then the girls wouldn't like it…

"…Uurgh! Fine! But don't blame me if any of you accidentally fell to the ground…" He groaned, ending his sentence with a mutter, surprised when the girls let out a squeal in response—in Kuroka's case actually. Her sister let out a silent giggle.

And just like that, he scooted even closer to the couch, making some room for the nekomatas to climb into. The sensation of the two girls against his skin immediately sent a blush to his face, but he otherwise managed to calm himself before he pulled off some crazy stunt.

And, if he had to be honest, this was… actually relaxing. He realised this just a little too late, but the girls were sleeping like a log the moment they had stepped onto the couches. And, as they breathed peacefully, him able to hear their peaceful inhalations and exhalations, and as he felt their chest rising and lowering touching against his arm—of which he tried to pull himself away, he felt his eyes growing heavy.

"How did this even happen..?" Was the last thing he said, before he finally joined the girls in their slumber. And, for the first time since he was away from Grayfia and Sirzechs, away from the mansion—including the times before he entered the devil world, he slept peacefully.

 ***Xenoblade Chronicles— Saihate Village / Night (End Song)***

* * *

The Next Day

Groggily waking up with a yawn, fully energised and such, the black nekomata turned to where her favourite pillow had slept, but a frown instantly replaced her bright smile when the presence of said person was not there.

'Riven…' Kuroka remembered how warm he was, that night when they slept together, which brought a blush to her face, forcing her to push aside all her thoughts about him. And yet, no matter how hard she tried, she found herself yearning to be with him again.

"Nii-chan…" And it seems that Shirone slept soundly as well, displayed by how relaxed she looked. And yet, even she looked as if she missed him already. "Where's Riven-senpai..?"

"He left, sadly…" The older sister answered, adopting a lonely expression, which soon turned into a surprised one when she saw a note on the dining table. Moving to it, she took the note, with Shirone being at her side not even a moment later, and what was written on the note brought a warm sensation to their hearts.

It wrote…

 _'To Shirone, the adorable silver neko,_  
 _and Kuroka, the graceful black neko,_

 _Thank you for the hospitality! I promise you that I won't forget you at all! And I'm really sorry that I had to leave so soon…_

 _But, just as it has happened many times in the movies, manga and anime, we'll meet each other someday! You can bet on that!_

 _Well then, I think it's just about time that I stop writing, because I don't have any more ink…_  
 _Let's meet again in the future!_

 _~Riven Hirokami'_


	5. Chapter 4

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

 _"For him, it was easy."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!* - Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 4: Another Maou? A Dragon and Anime=-

"So, my good friend, share with me what you have learnt up until now."

 **"Oh, what's this? Are you taking the mantle of a teacher, who's asking his student a question? Are you now a master who requests his pupil to recount their lessons? Are you my chief, who wishes to consult me with my knowledge on a topic?"**

"There is no definite scenario. Haha… It is a very entertaining thought, though, I'd rather like it if we could very much refer to each other as equals. I am a man speaking to a non-man, but these differences never did stop us from becoming friends in the first place."

 **"Ah, too true. How did we even meet each other in the first place?"**

"My heart yearns to recount, but my mind tells me otherwise. The people who look at our words through their glass screens will no doubt wish to know as well. As such, I would rather have it remain as a little secret between us. It would only burn their curiosity even more, don't you agree?"

 **"Ooh, such a creative game. Very well, I agree with you. And do pardon me if I were sounding hasty, but when would the world ever know what we are?"**

"Hmm… When our writer wills it, I suppose. He is the one with the pen, or I would rather say, the _keyboard_. Jackals learned how to hunt, so of course, our dear writer learnt how to chain our will. Even then, he has given us the freedom to do as we wish, and that on its own is a very much appreciated gift."

 **"I can agree with you wholeheartedly. But please, before we get off-track, what say I settle your answer?"**

"By all means, please do so."

 **"Very well then. From such, it appears that the dear child has met such beautiful creatures. What perplexes me, is the fact that the siblings live together in a house. Canon, they were adopted by a master who taught them their way of living. Such a bizarre twist."**

"Good eye. Indeed, the sisters live together instead. It's a much more heart-warming thought, no? A family need not be limited to just the brothers, sisters, father and mother. There is the funny uncle, the wrinkly grandmother, the strict stepbrother, the shy nephew, the mad aunt, the strong grandfather, the pathetic niece-in-law, and the loving stepsister."

 **"But is it truly necessary that family only be tied to us through blood? Our young protagonist is a child whose family has grown. His father the Devil, and his mother a human. But his temporary adoptive family, which has merged with his current family, are all powerful devils. The latter, they are all mere strangers who picked him up during his time of need. They are not tied by blood, yet are family through and through."**

"Of course, you're right. When your family is not those that share your blood, or your father's blood, or your mother's blood, or your grandparents' blood, then you are simply under a simple rule. You are not bound by blood, but by the bonds that you have forged together. It may not be as strong as when you are with you are with your real family, but it is a beautiful thing nonetheless. Powerful, even, as it will no doubt assist you in overcoming every obstacle there is."

 **"I agree. The man with silver hair and the brand on his left hand, or if it were a parallel universe, then let him be replaced with a woman with silver hair and a brand on her left hand, has fought tooth and nail against a mad king, a deathly conqueror, their own father, and themselves, whom has drank the sin of power. The bonds they forged with the blue-haired prince, the blond princess, the former's daughter, and many more, has lit a path for them to return home, born anew."**

"Indeed. Family is the strongest thing there is. A diamond that could never be bought. It costs not a rupee, not a dollar, not a ringgit, or even a pound. If one were to put it into numbers, the only answer the calculator would be more than happy to provide, is the sign of infinity."

 **"Without doubt, the bonds you forge with others are important. And the stronger those bonds are, the more the beauty one will ever see in their lives."**

"Mmhm… So, I have a final question, before our writer gives his readers insight into the child's life. No doubt everyone are tired with reading our words, haha… Very well, who will the boy fall in love with?"

 **"Oh~? You're curious of his love life? No doubt, even I find myself rather amused at the thought. But if I were to answer your question, you will need to answer me what genres does the story possess."**

"Harem. Comedy. Action. Adventure. Ecchi. Romance. Supernatural."

 **"Indeed."**

* * *

'I miss him…' Same thoughts, same targeted person, different people. It was the whole day, yet it passed like a fly escaping its killer.

Coming back from meditation—as she liked to call it, she was able to catch a whiff of blood tainting the air. It smelled like… human, but there was something off about it. She couldn't tell, but she couldn't ignore it.

Instantly, she used everything she knew and had to track the scent, dragging her all the way into the forest. She had to admit that she met a… cute little boy, who was about to die. Who was about to die by the hands of an assassin.

Her eyes widened with shock and anger, and she could only do what she thought was best; kill him before the boy gets killed.

*Pssh!*

She remembered how she had let loose her touki into a spherical blast, burning against the assassin's robes and skin, ultimately ending his life. And she remembered how she brought the boy to their house, letting him sleep in her and her sister's bedroom whilst she went out to go look for her sibling, whom told her that she'd be at the playground presumably.

And when she returned, she hadn't expected to have somehow befriended the boy much too quick. Her sister joining in a moment later, and the three were closer than a mattress's knittings.

And for the first time ever, she couldn't possibly fathom how delicious food could sometimes be. And from there, she would promise herself that she would begin taking practices by herself, watch cooking tutorials and read recipe books to get a good grip on her cooking abilities.

And just a day ago, he left. Of course, it was much to expected. He had already the older sister that he'd return to his home soon, so it was no doubt that he'd leave. And now, there was a void in her heart; the longing to be with him again.

She couldn't help but whisper his name, looking into the waters of her tub as she sobbed tears a mix of joy and sorrow; joy because she had met such a wonder person in her life, and sorrow because she wanted to see him again.

Very much.

'I miss him…' Same thoughts, same targeted person, different people. Of all the things that she enjoyed, she liked playing with the humans, except the boys. Many of them were perverts, so she made sure to just stick to the female ones.

When her sister came earlier, she was very much prepared to have a bit of the fresh carrots from their backyard, even if it weren't exactly that delicious.

So, after some time spending with the humans, she decided to leave, waving goodbye to her friends—and sending a cruel glare towards the boys, which left them petrified and scared—she returned home.

Only to have herself feel shocked at the presence of a stranger. Who was lying in their bed. And was talking to her sister. And was a male.

And then she remembered how they decided to have lunch. She was very much just expecting to have raw fish—as they usually do, but he managed to do so much more.

And ever since then, she couldn't help but want to eat 'dishes' again. They tasted much too good! And with her older sister practicing on how to cook, she was no doubt excited for that.

And yet… As much as she hated to admit, she couldn't help but want him to come back again. Sure, he was a stranger, but now they were friends, so what's wrong there?

Of the things she enjoyed most of all about him—besides the colourful dishes he made, of the ways he was always prepared to deliver a smile—was how he was always needing her help. Needing her.

She remembered; the first time was when he needed help with the vegetables. Her older sister would pluck the vegetables, and she was tasked with bringing them into the house. The second was when he needed her help to bring the martini glasses to the table.

To him, they were just small favours. To her, they were much more. She felt complete with him, and his absence made her wonder what she had to do, to be with him again.

She muttered her name, before taking a strange spherical thing from the nightstand, which was wrapped in paper. He explained that it was sort of like a food, but should only be treated as a 'snack', whatever he meant.

She did as he instructed to her; peel it open and pop it into her mouth. And ever since then, snacks was the third on her love list; third only to her love of her sister, and love of the boy who stumbled across their home.

* * *

5 years ago

Our young prince is currently in his bathroom, getting himself washed by Grayfia, as usual. It's already too common that it's become a routine, he thought, but no shame ever came to his mind when he'd take time to think of it.

They were siblings now, so he never really thought that there would be anything different about this.

Looking up to her, he could very well see the same peaceful smile that she always had when with him, and he couldn't help but flash her a large, white smile of his own.

In any case, the maid has watched over him grow in two years, and its safe to say that anyone who tries to remotely hurts Riven—or have succeeded in said actions—faces the wrath of the greatest woman devil. And by wrath, I mean the world-destruction type of wrath.

Has that ever happened? Oh yeah, it did. And he almost passed out just trying to remember about it.

* * *

Flashback

 _The prince was currently taking a stroll through the park, alone. He swore that it was probably the most difficult thing he had done up 'til then. Ever since the attack in the forest, added with the fact that he almost died, and he swore that his family became a barrier._

 _But thankfully, with much reasoning by his father, the child managed to get a bit of alone time. He didn't understand much, but the words 'big boy' and 'being a man' stuck to him._

 _But what stuck most to him, to the point that forced him to shudder, was how there was a loud smack later on, accompanied with his wolf father's cry of pain._

 _That scared him._

 _The walk was uneventful most of the day, until he heard what sounded like a cry. Locating the source of the voice, he was met with the sight of a bunch of taller kids picking on a young bespectacled girl. At first, he thought that he would've stayed out of it, but seeing that the girl was distressed changed his mind._

 _He ran towards the gang, stopping just a good feet away from them. Unknowing of what to do, or how to get rid of the nervousness that bit in his belly, he did the first thing that came to mind._

 _"H-Hey!" He raised his voice as high as he could, aiming to get the attention of the gang. This worked, both fortunately and unfortunately as they immediately shifted their attention to the prince._

 _"Huh? What do you want?" The biggest boy, probably their leader, looked down on Riven. The child felt himself shrink in the giant's presence—he felt so small, as if he were some ant in comparison to him—but held his ground._

 _"O-Oh! M-Me? Right, well…" He was prepared to leave, but then he thought, could he really do that? Could he just abandon a girl that they were hurting? Deciding otherwise, he picked up every last ounce of courage he had in him, and went for it. "J-Just leave the girl alone!" Riven shouted. He was hoping they'd at least listen to his request and leave, but luck was not really being his friend for now._

 _"Pfft… Hahaha! Wow, you've got guts, I'll give you that! Well, then…" The group leader rounded up his friends and reached his hand out for a baseball bat from one of his friends. "Think you've got the fists for it as well?"_

 _'Just like before…' The memories back when he was still in the orphanage played in his mind, but he shook them aside. This was different. He had a reason to fight this time._

 _Riven, being the dumb and yet good person he is, decided to not back away from the fight. He was sure as hell he wasn't going to let these dastards have their way with the maiden. The leader swung his bat around, and pointed to the young prince with his free hand. Immediately, the friends of the leader charged towards the boy. The prince still stood his ground, racking up a way of how to fight them in his mind when suddenly, thunder struck the ground around him with a loud—_

 _*Bang!*_

 _The prince had to cover his eyes from the rising dust, and when he reopened them, he realised that Grayfia was now standing by his side, her eyes full of disgust and hate as she glared at the gang who threatened to hurt her young lord._

 _"Riven, are you unhurt?" She looked to the young prince who was cowering from the maid's sudden appearance, her previous expression immediately replaced with that of worry and concern._

 _"I-I'm fine, but the girl…" He looked towards the bespectacled girl who was currently hiding behind a tree. The maid followed his gaze, and upon realising the identity of the girl was, suddenly grew even more furious, an aura of white surrounding her._

 _"Holy poop! It's Sirzech-sama's maid!" One of the boys cried out._

 _"Forget this! Let's get out of here!" The other boy suggested, the rest of them nodding dumbly._

 _And with that, all three of the boys immediately made a break for it, hoping to escape the wrath of the maid. She had opted to give chase to them, but the young prince immediately tugged at her side, begging for her to at least show mercy to them._

 _The maid couldn't help but smile at her brother's words. She glanced to the young girl, who still hid behind the tree. She gave a nod, and the young girl disappeared through a magic circle, something that surprised the black-haired boy._

* * *

The family, Azazel, Michael and Gabriel—the leaders of the other races had been visiting the Gremory household a lot nowadays—were finishing up dinner, which was cooked by, get this; not Grayfia, but Riven! A seven-year-old boy cooked dinner, and surprisingly, it was really good!

But really, is it all that surprising? If you've read the last chapter—*cough* go read it if not… *cough*—then you would've known that this wasn't the first time that he's done it. And really, lots of kids below eleven has done said thing, so let's not get too excited.

….But I can't. I'm a writer, sure, but I've never stepped foot into the kitchen to cook before. So yeah, joke's on me…

"Riven, you're an amazing cook! The flavours were literally bursting in my mouth! You must have some sort of secret?" The Devil Maou asked, fully amazed and satisfied with the dish.

"Not really, I just suddenly wanted to. Sorry if I made a mess in the kitchen," the child gave a nervous chuckle, his red-haired sister giggling in response.

"Don't worry, Riven. Everything's clean as it always is. I checked," she reassured him, eliciting a sigh of relief from him.

"So, the Sitri family will be coming over, huh?" Azazel brushed his napkin against his chapped lips, bringing his goblet of water to his lips to drink, before speaking once more. "Well, I won't be able to come. Apparently, one of my subordinates found something pretty interesting. And when I say interesting, I definitely have to check it out."

"Aww…" The young boy pouted, before turning to the Seraphs. "And what of you two? Would you both like to stay with us?"

"I-It's alright," Gabriel's smile seemed somewhat distraught, something that he caught notice of.

"You seem troubled, Gabriel. Is there a matter with the Sitri family visiting us?" He asked, a pitiful look from the other angel sent towards his companion, before he looked to the boy.

"Well… One of the Sitri family is a Devil Maou," Michael explained.

"Of course. She is Lady Serafall Leviathan," the child recounted, earning himself a nod from his mother.

"The thing is, Serafall has a… competitive streak with certain people. As such, due to Gabriel being somewhat popular," at his mother's words, the angel in question averted her gaze to the floor. "She sees her as a rival, and holds an immense grudge against her."

"O-Oh. Okay, that's something," the child blinked, somewhat taken aback by that explanation. "So, how about you, mother? And you, father?"

 **"We'll be here. Plus, this is our new home, after all,"** the wolf snickered, responded with a groan of embarrassment from the Devil Maou in the room. **"So yeah."**

"Huh, alright. Oh, and Aniki-san. When will the Sitri family be coming over?" Riven asked once more, the red-haired male devil ready to answer before Euclid cut in.

"Tomorrow," the silver-haired man replied just as quick, chuckling at his brother's look of disappointment. "Don't worry. This shan't be the only time I shall ever commit such action."

"Oh, joy…" The sarcastic tone the Devil Maou had adopted did not go unnoticed by everyone else, as laughter filled the room a moment ago.

And with nothing more to do, the young child stood from his seat, bidding his family and friends goodbyes before turning in for the day.

* * *

The Next Day

 ***M2U—Moon Halo (Play Song)***

The dining room was already set, with all its cutlery and candles lit on the table, the chairs finely polished and clean, the floors mopped and the walls and ceiling dusted. The prince was currently sitting in the living room, wanting to practice his piano-playing skills. He had a knack for almost everything; already he has proven to be able to wield the dragon-slayers at the age of 10, able to cook at eleven, and now he just picked up the hobby of playing instruments. Guitars, pianos, drums, flutes, trumpets, you name it and he can play it. Despite this, he is quite modest and would always deny it.

His fingers were quick and precise, able to click on the key pads as quick as he were to read a novel. In one case, he finished Sirzech's book on theories about the evolution of mankind in two hours. Two hours! And its was two hundred bloody pages, for crying out loud!

In any case, the Sitri family finally reached the palace. In came a pair of husband and wife, Riven thought, along with a tall black-haired girl who had her hair tied into twin tails. For some reason whatsoever, the girl was dressed in a magical girl's clothing. He recognised the outfit from 'Magical Girl Milky Spiral Seven', an anime that was currently popular with the girls, and some other guys. She even had the magic wand. Dang, she must seriously be a serious fan of the series.

"Sirzechs, Grayfia. A pleasure to meet you," the father to the Devil Maou stated, and gave a small curtsey after saying his words.

"And the same to you, Lord Sitri," Sirzechs returned the gesture with his own.

"Well then, if milords and miladies would be so kind as to join us for dinner?" Grayfia gestured to the dining room. Everyone nodded, and went to the tables to get on with the dinner.

And the boy took it as his signal to join them.

 ***M2U—Moon Halo (End Song)***

* * *

Two hours later

"Haha! Is that so?" the Lord Sitri was chuckling to what the wolf with blue wisps said.

Satan was just telling the lord of household Sitri and his wife of the many tales with Riven. What got the lord to laugh was the story where Riven somehow managed to pour too much soap into the bathtub of his bathroom, causing too much bubbles to be produced, and somehow that whole mass of soap managed to flood the house.

Riven was crying at his mistake, scared as to whether the maid and her husband would punish him, despite them telling him that it was no problem. Hell, he even stayed away from his parents, adoptive and blood both.

"Haha! I know, the boy is really something. Sometimes, I feel that he could protect others and yet, he requires protection from others. Strange, isn't it?" Satan replied, his tone of speaking indefinitely displaying a certain amount of teasing.

"Well, I'm glad that he managed to keep the group's hands off of our daughter. And for that, I thank you," Lady Sitri slightly lowered her head into a bow towards the red-haired Devil Maou.

You heard that right, the girl that Riven saved that day was actually one of the lord and lady of the household of Sitri's daughter, Sona Sitri. Heiress to the household once she grows up, she is a close friend of Rias, ever since they were little.

The human child couldn't keep count on how many times his devil sister had thanked him for saving the other girl's life.

"Don't thank me. Thank Riven instead. And talking about him, he seems to be having fun with your daughter, Serafall," Sirzechs glanced to the living room. He saw that the girl was currently sitting on the floor, watching the anime she so adores with Riven sitting on her lap, since she was taller than him.

"Yeah! Go, Tsukino!" Riven was currently cheering for the anime's main character, who was battling against a leader of a horde of robots.

"Man, this is fun! Watching this together is great, huh?" Serafall looked down to the prince that sat on her lap, beaming at how she has finally found a fan of the series, just like her.

"Mmh…" Everyone else, whilst too busy watching how much the young child and Devil Maou were enjoying each other's company, Rias was pouting to herself, slightly jealous of the attention he was giving her.

Not more than half a half of an hour later—half of a half of an hour is fifteen minutes by the way, the battle in the high-quality flat screen TV finally ended, and the credits had rolled in. Serafall had a blast; not only did she get to watch the anime without needing to feel nervous of what others would think of her, but because she finally had a friend to watch it with. Sure, he was young, but did that really matter.

For once, she was able to truly be herself. Her parents were lenient enough at home, but she had a reputation to keep out of the walls. Even her sister, just being twelve, was acting super mature than she was. She needed to make a good example, but she just freaking loved anime!

So when she came to this house, and met such a wonderful boy, whom told her that he had never ever watched 'Magical Girl Milky Spiral Seven' in his whole life, she just couldn't help but get him to watch it with her. She felt it was too much of a forcing thing at first, but judging by how much he enjoyed that, it seemed like it was the perfect take of action!

*Ding! Dong!*

The grandfather clock beside the TV played its polished chimes, signalling that the visit was over. Riven grew a frown, and Serafall managed to catch sight of this. She too wanted to stay longer, but there was way too much work she had to return to, and really though, the duty of a Devil Maou is tiring as heck!

"Aww… Already..?" Whilst his pouting may have elicited a few giggles from his new friend, his red-haired sister seemed to look much more… envious than anything else.

"Well Serafall, we will be needing to leave now. Give your goodbye to the prince now, would you?" the Devil Maou's father asked her.

"I don't really think of myself as a prince though…" The young child chuckled, the girl whose laps he was sitting on responding with a hug of her own.

"Well, I think you are!" Serafall's embrace on him had pulled out his blush, until she finally let go. "So I guess we'll see each other another time, alright?"

This managed to raise the prince's spirits, if the frantic nodding of his head weren't any indication. The Devil Maou was really excited as well, to watch her favourite show again with one of her new best friends.

"Very well then, Lord Sitri. It was a pleasure to meet you again. It looks like our children are getting really close now, huh?" the red-haired Devil Maou asked with a chuckle.

"It seems so, Sirzechs. Well, see you in our next visit?" the lord asked.

"Mmhm! Anytime!" Sirzechs replied, waving off to the lord and lady of household Sitri as they walked to the front doors with their daughter, ready to leave.

Everything seemed fine, but Riven had seen one last thing. He saw his new friend wave off to him at the last second. And call him crazy, but he could've seen her face looking a bit like a baby tomato.

Oh well, they'll meet again. And he couldn't wait.

* * *

That Night

'It's not fair…' A certain redhead whined, rolling around on the bed as sleep was unable to take whisk her away.

The whole day, she was forced to watch her little brother spend time with another girl. It was torture! Maddening to the point where her hairs pleaded her to rip them off her scalps!

It just… didn't make sense. Was it the fact that he had been too busy playing with Serafall to the point that he never saw her at all?

Of course, it was absurd! In fact, he had, on multiple occasions the whole day, invited her to join them to watch the anime. And during dinner, he had talked a lot with her, it was only halfway through the course that Serafall had spurred herself to talk to him. He hadn't forgotten to pay attention to his surroundings and his family, something that was a second-nature of his.

"And yet…" She didn't understand why she couldn't pry away this feeling in her gut away from her. "Maybe I'm worried that he'll leave us… Leave _me_ …"

That couldn't be it! The boy was just a family-lover as any ordinary child was, except he was much more clingy to them than anyone else. He relies on his family a bit too much in too many things, something that no one seemed to dislike. In fact, it was quite nice. Company spent with him taught them many things, and it was like a breath of fresh air.

Euclid, who constantly keeps to himself besides his sister, has taken a liking towards his youngest brother. Azazel had—everyone had tried wording this in the nicest way possible—spent his lazy afternoons with the kid more often. Michael and Gabriel grew closer to him too.

And out of everyone, he seemed to constantly spend his time with his family; his reconciliation with Satan and Yuri—his real family, Zeoticus and Venalana, Sirzechs and Grayfia… and her.

So why was she feeling this way? There wasn't anything wrong. There was nothing wrong at all!

"…Maybe I'm going mad…" She settled with that answer, turning herself around so that her back met the air, and that her face was buried in the pillow. Though he spent most of the day with Serafall, it didn't change anything. "He's still my little brother, no matter wha—"

*Thud!*

"O-Oops…" Ignorance was constantly a huge problem for her. So to say that, as she swung her legs childishly in the air, and that her view was solely focused on the pillow, she has knocked down her bookshelf beside her bed—she shifted around it a _lot_ —was not anything too impolite. "Ahh… Better get that."

Stepping off from the mattress, she took to crouching to pick up each and every book that fell, until she came upon an interesting volume.

"Hmm? What's this..?" She blinked, confused. Was this book always in her room? "Let's see… _Succubi Volume 1: Lovemaking for a She-Devil_."

...

Just moments ago, she had been quite disarrayed, looking for reasons of why she was so distressed in the first place. But ever more slowly, as each syllables exited her lips, her eyes grew wider and wider, until all that was left was utter silence, the book in her hands, her jaws apart, and her blue orbs shining beautifully, and widely.

And it came down just as quick!

"W-What in the world?!" Rias was quick to throw the book aside, all sense of dignity and slight maturity, which is still very little due to her being quite too young to even be called a 'lady', shredded to nothing. "H-H-How is this book in my room?!"

This was nonsense! How could, and she thought so much on this, such a profane book even exist?! Or at the very least, _in her_ _room_? It made no sense!

Taking a while to calm down, she took to notice that the book hadn't disappeared as she wished it to be. Instead, it just sat there, still and opened, revealing nothing but words and figures of… What was that?

It was already hopeless. By now, she was curious, and she had pried the book from the ground, scanning through quickly to make sense of what was recorded in the volume.

" _…And it is of utmost importance that one is able to give her mate as much of pleasure as she possibly could, for it is the basic step to getting her mate to love her more, so to speak,_ " immediately, she stopped reading, pondering on the words that she had just burned into her mind. 'So pleasuring someone is the best way to make them like you more…'

And when her thoughts ended, her mind processed her to take the book. And she read, and read, and read. And the more she read, the more the blush on her face grew, and the more her heart beat.

Was this alright? This was the sort of thing that would usually reside in some pervert's room. Maybe it belonged to Azazel… But the way the book was targeted at woman, she deemed it unlikely. Rather, this must have been hers to read when she was older, yet here she was—reading it like she was some woman already prepared for the world of lust and sex.

She didn't like what she read, and yet… she came upon a conclusion.

She hid the book under the bookshelf, pausing for a moment before casting a ward on it so that it couldn't be traced with magic. She strengthened it a bit more, satisfied at last, before laying it down there. And leaving to bed, new _thoughts_ entered her dreamscape.

* * *

Six Weeks Later

During the weeks, Rias had been busy shifting her schedule from playing with Riven, training herself, and reading the book as she hid under the radar—in this case, Grayfia, who would constantly take it to walk around the palace to see if anyone else were still awake.

Luckily, she was only around for two minutes or three, once or twice, before she retreated to Riven's room to check on him more than eight times.

The book held forbidden fruit, that was for sure. Someone as young as her was not supposed to be exposed to such knowledge at such a tender age. But she had no regrets now. She was willing to get through all the embarrassment and shame if it would give her the chance to…

And the weeks passed, and lord and lady of household Sitri came to visit the Gremory palace, along with Riven's new friend, Serafall Leviathan.

The prince and female Devil Maou were currently sitting on the floor again, with Riven sitting yet again on his friend's lap. He wouldn't mind it at all, and his friend didn't as well—Rias definitely did. They were watching 'Magical Girl Milky Spiral Seven' again, and this was the second season. Apparently, they had just released the newest episode to season two just last night, and boy oh boy was the Devil Maou excited!

What with all the work as a Devil Maou, there was no doubt that she could have been able to do anything she wished as she pleased. So these visits were a double benefit; not only would she get to catch up with the anime, but she'd get to spend time with her crush.

Yes, I said crush. But is that really so strange now? Considering the girls he met last chapter—again, read that if you haven't—it should be pretty obvious that this is a harem story. And yes, I'm doing this on purpose. This is my story, after all!

…Oh, the age difference? Uhh… Back to the story!

"Ah! It feels like they knew each other for so long, yet it's only been just six weeks, huh?" Lady Sitri remarked, a clear smile on her face. Sirzechs could only grin at her statement.

"Well, anything is possible, I suppose," the redhead of a devil chuckled, taking a little peek at his little brother, who was in a guessing competition with Euclid.

"So, the puzzle goes like this," the grey-haired devil cleared his throat, before speaking in a sing-song voice. "Oh, heavens above, bless the one whose arm is gone! And may his conquest reward him with red banners raised high in the air! Any idea?"

"Arm gone? Conquest? Hmm…" The child began pondering, signs of his demonic heritage making itself more apparent by the way his ears sharpened a bit to look like an elf's, except shorter. "A king? Wait, no… Ooh, ooh! A pirate king!"

"Impressively done," the older sibling smiled in satisfaction. "Even friends of mine couldn't solve that question. At least someone's managed to do it finally."

"Yay, I'm awesome!" Riven chirped happily, earning himself a pat by his Devil Maou friend. "Oh, Serafall, how are you in games like these?"

"Me? Weeell…" She seemed to trail off, looking somewhat between ashamed and uncertain. "I don't know, to be honest. I like games that you don't need to think about!"

"Really?" His question was responded with a nod once more. "Huh… Okay, if you say so. I'll take your word for it."

"Indeed. And if I'm welcome to change the subject, I'd say I'd prefer the first season of this… 'Magical Girl Milky Spiral Seven'. What of the two of you?" Euclid's voice was casual, lacking any regal pride or dignity as he would possess during his time in the public.

"Yeah, I agree. The battles are slightly soppy in this one," the child admitted, adding a few cents a moment later. "But the dancing is nice! The way Kimika and Notsu danced in the competition was awesome!"

"Yeah, yeah! I feel the same way!" Just talking about the anime seemed to make Serafall all giddy and ecstatic. "Man, I wish I could dance just as well as they could. I really want to…"

"Hey, if anything's possible, I bet you could make that happen someday," the child below her offered words that sounded wiser than he had expected it to be. But even so…

"Ooh, thank you~!" She couldn't restrain herself from hugging the child, giggling with the boy. "Seriously though, I wish everyone were like you. Well-mannered, polite… Not to add that you're cute too!"

"A-Ahaha, I wouldn't count on it…" He merely chuckled in embarrassment, possessing a will not strong enough to hold himself back from flushing.

"So, what other things should we do? We've already gone at guessing games for an hour already," her statement was true enough. The past hour, the three of them had been using their minds more than enough. Of course, it makes sense that they'd get bored of it already.

"Umm… I'm not too sure myself," the child shrugged, true to his words. Just this one hour of quizzes had already taken his mind off of ideas already. It was as many other humans had said; you tend to forget things once you're so absorbed into something.

But talking about _child_ … Realizing now that he truly falls under the lineage of the one and only Satan, and that the Demon has taken a human woman as his wife… What would that make him? Presumably, he'd be a human-demon halfbreed. Wait, yes! He shall go with that, for the words played on his tongue quite smoothly. Much better to say, and so satisfying it felt, rather than a half-man half-demon.

"Riven?" He heard her red-haired sister's call, of which he took to coming towards her.

"Yes?" Ever the bright person he is, with a smile and no horrible intentions whatsoever.

"I-I, uhh…" She briefly had no words to say, before taking to calming herself down. She needed to do this! "C-Can we go out, tomorrow? Just us..?"

"Go out for shopping?!" Immediately, he was leaping high with joy and excitement at the thought, responded with a slow nod from the girl. "Yay! We get to go shopping!"

Rias watched as the boy disappear back to the living room, possibly telling Euclid and Serafall of tomorrow. She sighed, since this was how he was. She couldn't blame him though, since he just made a few things easier.

For one, everyone else would immediately know that they wouldn't be able to take the boy for themselves, and Rias'd have him for the whole day! Such a thought had already brought a smile to her features, something of which was welcomed all the same.

"Just a bit more…" She told herself, silent in case anyone could've heard what she said.

* * *

That Night

"Already..?" The female Devil Maou pouted, which was a sight the young human-demon halfbreed couldn't say was not cute.

"Sadly, we must. We've overstayed our welcome, after all," at her father's words, she merely groaned in response. He ignored that for now, in exchange for a smile directed at the lord of the house. "Thank you very much for allowing us to stay with you. We enjoyed our time here very much."

"And the same goes for us as well," Sirzechs laughed, before leaning in with a cheeky expression. "Although, it seems that Serafall enjoyed it more than anyone else…"

"Oh, truly. When she doesn't have work to do, she's always saying how she wants to play with Riven. Truly, I find it awing of how quick she was to make a new friend…" Lord Sitri sighed, before turning heels to make way towards his wife and daughter. "Well, I suppose we shall leave now. Thank you, Lord Sirzechs."

"Of course," the redhead bowed a bit, standing with the rest of his family and watching as the royalty of the Sitris household disappear through their magic circle. It was only a few minutes after they had long been gone did Sirzechs see it fit to speak. "Well, let's get back inside. Plus, Riven, you've got something to do with Rias tomorrow, right?"

"Mmhm," the boy nodded, his lips curling even more. "Ooh, I'm going shopping, Aniki-san! I just can't imagine al the things I could get!"

"Of course. But do remember to take caution in town, alright?" Immediately, his expression darkened by a bit, displaying worry and concern. "We both know what's happened before this… I don't want to make the same mistake as I did. I already failed you once, so—"

"What are you talking about?" His abrupt interjection ceased his brother's train of speech. "What happened that day was my own mistake. I am Satan's son, and I should have noticed sooner. And because of my carelessness, you, Grayfia and Azazel have been pushing yourselves way too far."

At his words, the Devil Maou's eyes widened to their limit. It was impossible… This child, whose age only counted seven in the human's calendar, knew things that others didn't. How did…

"Aniki-san, I don't want you to blame yourself for what's happened that day," slowly, the blank expression he had was being replaced by his usual smile. "Besides, I managed to stop it! I don't know how, but I'll find a way to make it happen again! I'll make you, Grayfia and everyone else proud of me!"

He spared his brother no time to come up with a response, as he ran back into the palace in a fit of giggles. Sighing once, his head dropped low, only then had the briefest hints of a smile came into place.

'What are you talking about? We're already proud of you…' The Devil Maou mentally chuckled, feeling a weight being lifted off his shoulders.

Seeing there was nothing more to be done outside, he retreated into the palace with his family, ready to turn in for the day.


	6. Chapter 5

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

 _"For him, it was easy."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!* - Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 5: The Unholy Holy Burns=-

 **"I seem to have no words to make of what I've seen."**

"Clearly, that is a lie. Your mind whispers sweet lies into your ears, but your heart knows that you do have words to use. You are a jester, dear friend, and I'm pleased to say that I am amused.

 **"Ahh, you wound me… But very well, if you insist, then I am more than happy to recount on what I've seen."**

"Go on."

 **"To say it simply, it appears as if he has captured the hearts of multiple woman. The black-white nekomata sisters, both of whom he has left behind. Then there is the Devil Maou, who doesn't seem to be so serious about her adoration towards him."**

"It's as you say. However, that is only the ice. The breaker will come soon. But pushing that aside, what would you make of Rias's change of behaviour?"

 **"Ahh… Sin me if my assumptions were to step upon dangerous territory. But first, humour us. Do you know what incest is?"**

"Of course. There should be no man that could never know what it means. Even if it were a simpler meaning, as long as they understand the simply story behind the strange word, then it is all the more well. One does not need to burden themselves with memorising words upon words from the Wikipedia."

 **"Without doubt. It'd only make it harder for one to understand. Wikipedia exists to deepen the understanding of a topic, so I would say that only those who are experts may proceed with the page. In any case, may you please give your own understanding of it?"**

"Simply to put, it is the act of a sexual relationship between familial members, be it siblings, mother or father, or relatives. Now, I'm not sure of cousins, for I think there is a slight leniency with that. Though, if I am wrong, I ask that you forgive me, for I am no sage."

 **"You are forgiven. And yes, you are correct. The subject of cousins is a debate all on its own. Many assume that is is prohibited due to being 'familial', but consider this. A cousin is your mother's sister's child. Your aunt's child. This should instantly be one that distinguishes both of you, no?"**

"Precisely. Ah, it seems that I have forgotten. Earlier, before you requested me to explain incest with my own words, you seem to speak something about 'dangerous territory'. By all means, please explain it to me. I've no doubts that the readers are curious as well."

 **"Very well then. As the writers will us, I will chain my tongue no more. To put it simply, I would like to think that the girl… is in love with her brother."**

"Hmm… That is quite the problem. See, the siblings are merely adoptive. She has no blood ties to him, yet she has taken up the mantle as his sister. In most countries, the law prohibits them to marry their siblings, even if they were adopted. It is sad, to be honest, but I suppose that it is all there is to it."

 **"Indeed. But it seems that you've taken the news of Rias falling in love with the child much easier than I had expected. I would have expected you to at least shuddered at the thought. Do tell, why are you calm about this topic?"**

"It is very simple. In fact, I am the subject of my mother accepting her son's stick. As a creation of a mother and her son, I have no apparent disgust with them falling in love. But even if I weren't the product of incest, the only thing that I could possibly say is that love should have no bounds. Indeed, by religion and science, it is a very sensitive subject, and should never be practiced. But truly, I suppose I don't really care."

 **"By God's name..! Your mother married her own son? Y-Your father? You mean the…"**

"Indeed, my good friend. The human-dragon halfbreed that you saw the other day, who was in his human form, that kissed my mother, a pure human. He was indeed her offspring, for she had taken the claw of a dragon, before taking her child's chastity when her first husband passed."

* * *

5 Years Ago

 **"Should I..? No… Not yet,"** despite the multiple times she told herself that, she couldn't pry her eyes away from the sleeping boy. **"Ooh… If anyone found out that I was watching him, I'd be dead..!"**

 **"Doing what, Eve?"** Immediately, the dragonness flinched, turning around to face the voice's owner.

Words could never describe the towering dragon that floated in the infinite stretch of matter. Taking a form of a massive red wyvern, with a horn on his snout and two sets of wings that spoke no mercy. This was the one and only Great Red.

Or as he constantly tells others to call him, Red.

 **"R-R-Red!"** The female dragon instantly pulled herself away from the bubble, nervously chuckling to hide her previous actions. **"W-W-What are you doing _here_? Bored of going around the place already?"**

 **"Seriously though, there is absolutely nothing!"** His voice boomed throughout the entire dimension, a sigh of disappointment accompanying it a moment later. **"I mean, I don't understand what Ophis liked about this place before."**

 **"True…"** She nodded distantly, as if another thought was on mind. **"But talking about Ophis, it seems that she has a sort of hobby, huh?"**

 **"Now that is interesting,"** the red dragon laughed, not hiding the grin he had. **"Thank God and all! She's not chasing my hide anymore! And really, it got super annoying! She'd be following me here and there, and she'd be plotting how to kill me! I mean, come on! I didn't do anything to her at all!"**

 **"From what I've heard, she's been trying to kill you because…** " She paused for a while, a thoughtful look stretching itself upon the dragonness's features. **"She wants to attain true _silence_."**

 **"…What the f**k?"** The Great Red sighed in disappointment and confusion, face displaying a passive look. **"I, I just… You know what? I give up. I don't even know what goes in that stupid girl's head anymore. But at the very least, at least this new hobby of hers keeps her away from me. And that begs the question, what is her hobby?"**

 **"More questions, no answers…"** She didn't even bother to mask the groan that escaped her. **"So Red, you got any plans?"**

 **"I'm still figuring out how to create myself a human body,"** the answer that left his lips was so simple, yet she found herself flabbergasted. **"What? Don't believe me? Come on, Eve. This place is just as interesting as watching the clouds—Wait, no! Watching the clouds are way more fun! No, this is as bad as sitting on a chair and doing nothing!"**

 **"For someone as great as you, you sure have a way with words… A _strange_ way with words,"** Eve laughed, her draconic fangs bared for the naked eye. **"Well, you have fun. I have a 'SacredGear' to possess soon enough."**

 **" A 'Sacred Gear'? Whose?"** Red hadn't expected himself to be interested in such topic at all, considering that she had never spoken about this. Of course, she had always conversed with him about it, but never did he expect for her to actually do it. There was a massive difference between 'wanting to do something' and 'doing something' after all. It was just a matter of thoughts and verb.

 **"Oh, you'll find out soon enough~!"** She teased, laughing at the look on the larger wyvern's face.

She does like playing games after all.

* * *

The Next Day

Riven couldn't help but feel weird when he woke up this morning.

Sleeping was basically the easiest way to regain his energy. The energy accumulated from the food broken down would not be expended, thus allowing him to be fully awake and energised when he wakes up. It was a constant.

And yet, right now, he felt as if he were drained of his stamina. Technically, he didn't feel tired, but there was a strange weight on his mind. It felt as if… something was about to happen if he went with Rias for shopping.

'No, there couldn't be!' He reasoned with himself, almost giving himself a whiplash due to the vigorous shaking of the head.

Her sister had outright proven to be very capable against even powerful foes, even if she were only a child at the time. Surely, she could take down those she wanted to if she wanted to, right? Her capabilities were limited, sure, but it didn't necessarily mean that she was weak. Far from that, really. He had forgotten the times he had lost to her.

Which was really only once. Ever since then, his victory counter had clocked around eighteen, yet he still doesn't know why his sister had been avoiding duels with him. Was he that bad, he thought.

No. The answer is no. He was just _too_ good.

Trepidation. A feeling he had not expected himself to feel on the day that he'd spend time with his sister. Why was he feeling this way? What was there to be worried about in the first place? How would things turn out to be?

He didn't know, for each question that came to bombard him, were only given a measly response of 'I don't know'.

No matter. This was going to be a fun day, and a fun day it will be!

"Let's do this! Nothing will make this day horrible, at all!" He cheered to himself—

"Riven? Is there a problem?" Instantly regretting it when he could hear Grayfia's voice from the other side of the door, traced with crippling worry and sisterly concern.

"N-N-Nothing!" He cried back, hoping that he sounded reassuring enough. The stuttering was a tad bit suspicious, but he was lucky enough when she bought it.

"Alright, if you say so," was the last thing he heard from her, before he heard her footsteps fade off. A breath of relief, one he didn't realise he was holding in, instantly left him once she was out of earshot.

"Well, no time than now to get ready," leaving the comforts of his bed, he got himself into his bathroom, learning a bit of how everything worked. The faucet, the shower, the bathtub—he didn't hold himself back from knowing all about the measly details, especially the way the colour of the tiles were opposite adjacent each other.

Taking a warm, then cold shower, he dressed himself in a simple black dress that shifted to white at the lower part, and a pair of black trousers. He didn't understand why, but the simple, monotonous colours were always his favourite.

"Oh, and this too," he nearly forgot his new present from Gabriel. It was a cross earring, something of which seemed to worry his family. But apparently, it seemed that, despite his demonic heritage, he was immune to its effects, much to his and everyone else's relief.

He didn't dare to imagine what Serafall would have done to the female Seraph if he started burning in pain.

'Alright, I'm done… Time to get moving!' And with a smile, he left his room, proceeding to the leaving room.

"Riven!" He heard his red-haired sister's call, followed with her appearing in front of him. He took notice of the mauve dress she wore that run all the way below her knees, and the pearl necklace their Devil mother had given her. "You ready for today?"

"Mmhm! I'm good to go!" He flashed his smile at her, before switching his gaze to his family. "Moms, dads, can we go?"

 **"I don't mind,"** Satan shrugged, licking the gaps between his fangs. **"Just make sure you don't run into any trouble. 'Cause if anything happens—"**

"Are you implying that you will not do anything?" The leer Yuri had given her husband was enough to press him down, fear now being the one that conquered him.

 **"N-N-No! Of course not! What do you take of me, woman?!"** His try at sounding threatening did nothing more than intensify the glare, of which he died down with a whimper and his ears drooping. **"S-Sorry…"**

"You not need to worry, Ms. Yuki. Riven and Rias will be safe, no matter what," Grayfia's words seemed to reassure the human woman, as she smiled back.

"We're still here, you know…" The child of Satan silently muttered to himself, deciding to let it go when the grownups seemed to be busy lecturing his father in something. "Oh well… So, Rias-nii, you ready to go?"

"Yeah! Come on!" She took his hand, the two children giggling as they ran off.

 **"But you see, I—Wait, Riven!"** The burning wolf seemed to have called out to his son, sighing in disappointment once he was out of view. **"Ah, shoot. I was too late…"**

"What was it?" Yuri shot her husband a curious look.

 **"Well… I wanted to give Riven a very important item, considering that it's basically with his life on the line…"** His last words came out in a hush, but the others could still hear him, and the shocked looks that came after only seemed to scare him. **"B-B-But it's not that bad! It's just for him when he gets older, but I thought of giving it to him now! But really, this matter can wait! It's not super—"**

He didn't have time to finish his words. Grayfia, in a matter of nanoseconds, sped up to him, grabbed him by his collar—he seemed to very much like the present his son gave him the other day—as she stared him right in the eyes, no words needed to said.

He understood the deathly look in her eyes too well.

 **"H-H-H-He's safe!"** His words gushed out like a dam breaking down, his words spluttered and messy. **"No one's going to kill him, I swear! He's not sick, or going to explode, or anything similar to that! He's safe as he would ever be, I swear!"**

"…" The maid kept her ironclad grip over his collar for a little longer, before she released him. "…If anything happens to Riven…"

She stopped herself, not daring to say more.

Though, the moment she left the living room, everyone could swear that they could have heard an explosion in the back garden, before she came back with a dead look.

"That is what will happen to you," she warned, the demon of demons's bowel beginning to wither in fear. "But do know that you are very, very fortunate that you are his father, because if you weren't…"

And someone had to bring a mop.

* * *

Later

"Look, Riven, look! It's cotton candy!" He snapped his head to his sister, joining her gaze to the machine that spun the magnificent magic-like candy, watching in awe as the owner of the machine dipped his stick low into the empty space, allowing the pink cotton to latch onto it like one huge lollipop.

"Whoa! That looks awesome!" He chirped, joining his sister to buy some of the candy. "Hey sir, how much is it?"

"Hmm?" The Devil turned around, his brown, bushy mustache open for view, as he looked down to the children. "Aah, children from the Gremory household! You must be lord Riven and lady Rias, hmm?"

"How do you know us?" The younger sibling felt quite surprised that some stranger knew of him and his sister, considering that he hadn't spent much time in the public to begin with.

"Well, news travel fast, boy. Even the part where you're Satan's son," the next part of his words elicited a surprised gasp from the boy. "Oh, forgive me if I've worried you, young lord. There are none that wish harm upon you. And even if there is any, the other Factions' leaders seem to take quite the amount of concern upon you."

"Oh? You mean Azazel, Gabriel, Michael… You meant them, right?" He asked, earning himself a nod from the older Devil.

"Why yes, of course! Constantly, they have been met with the end of a microphone of sorts, and I daresay that they've been asked about what they take of you," he chuckled to himself, preparing a cotton candy stick and beginning his work. "And my assumptions were correct. They say things like 'He is a good boy', or 'I have one of the most amazing friends ever!'. The second part is Lady Serafall, in case you didn't know."

"Hmm," he hummed in understanding, mentally chuckling at the thought that his Devil Maou friend had just said that to the masses.

"In any case," the shopkeeper's words brought Riven out of his reverie. "Here you go. It's on the house."

"R-Really?" His eyes gleamed like stars at the offer, and the nod he received was more than enough for him to bring him to a squealing fit. "Eeeh! Thank you!"

"Just be careful not to drop it," he winked, handing the stick of cotton candy to the older sibling of the two. "Well, have fun now!"

"Thank you!" Both children spurred on the same time, walking away together and entering the wide amusement park.

"Well, this is going to be one sort of a day," Rias smiled, glancing downwards on her left to look at her brother's eyes. "Are you ready?"

"As much as you are," he nodded, the soft yet determined look he gave her more than enough to spawn even more infatuation points in her towards him.

"Then let us," she smiled back, the burn on her face acting just as much as a reminder to her of how much she loved her little brother.

* * *

Two Hours Later

It hadn't been a lot of things that they had done, to be honest. The first thing that they had done was take baby steps, so they settled with the boat ride. It was sweet, gentle, romantic even. Oft at times, he had to cover his eyes just to shield away the pictures of couples in the other boats kissing and the like.

Rias saw it as a chance to get even closer to him, but the fact that he was too scared and too shy to even initiate a conversation with her must have taken a lot of him to just remain here, and not jump off. So for that, she decided to let it slide.

The moment he stepped out of the boat, Rias could swear that he returned to his previous joyful state. Well, at least he was back to normal, she thought.

The next thing that happened was somewhat enjoyable, and a bit scary—a thing both could agree on. They travelled to the hot-topic; the mirror house. He liked how the images of him were constantly twisted to give off a humouring effect, like a crooked man or a stick boy.

But the scary part came when they got separated.

"R-Rias-nii?" He called out, beginning to grow scared from his separation. "Rias-nii!"

It was horrifying, terrifying, everything else that was synonymous with 'scary' and ended with '-ing'.

It took quite a while to find each other, and even more just to get out of the blasted building. Thankfully, it only took twenty minutes, much to everyone's—and by everyone, I mean their family and friends—relief.

It was close, so close before Euclid would have gone there, all on his own, and destroyed the building with magic.

The next things weren't much. They entered the ice cream shop, perfectly adorned with a chime by its door, glossy windows, multiple table of mahogany and chairs that looked like tree logs.

"So, what would you like?" Now, Riven was never one for the details of a person. As long as they were kind and nice, he would let them slide, even if they were pretty or ugly—he never has the stomach to call someone ugly—but…

"S-Serafall?!" His response came out in the form of a shocked gasp, eyes wide as he stared at the black-haired beauty behind the counter. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just decided to work here for a little while. Got bored of the papers and desk job," she shrugged, much too easily for a Devil Maou. "So, what do you and Rias want to get?"

"I-I, uhh…" This was way out of his expectations! To think that a Devil Maou was working in an ice cream shop of all things! 'But is it really that bad?'

Things he liked about people was when they were being selfless, constantly trying to better themselves. This was a perfect example; a Devil Maou performing a task that is a million times unfitting for her. Yet, even despite the possible critics she would come to gain later on, but she wanted to do this. This, he thought, was a display of courage, and he was proud of her.

But really, his childish way of seeing things weren't always accurate, for you see…

'Getting to show Riven that I can serve ice-cream properly!' The Devil Maou smiled to herself in her mind, discreetly pumping her fist in the air. 'I'll show him that I can make a perfect sphere!'

…Okay, so that's that.

It definitely took some time—five tries to be exact—but the Devil Maou was finally able to serve her little customers their desired ice-cream in the shapes she wanted. Both Riven and Rias were taken aback by the strange dedication Serafall had… in just serving the ice cream in a perfect, round shape.

Well, at least they finally have their ice cr—

"Damn it, boy!" Riven's head snapped faster than anyone else's towards the source of the voice, able to see a kid the same age as him getting beaten up by an older devil. "Where the hell is my money, eh?! You said you'd pay me up today, but all I get is just half of what you promised!"

"Please give me a little bit more time…" It was faint, but Riven could tell that the child was beginning to grow mad, indicated by the way his fists began to ball up.

'Uh-oh, this isn't good…' He wanted, and needed to help. He understood the situation the child was in; he had been in his shoes long ago, after all, before he realised of his true heritage. "Rias-nii, please wait here."

"What?" She wasn't quick enough to stop him, as he rushed out of the shop faster than she could blink. "W-Wait, Riven!"

From a quick glimpse on the child, it was apparent enough that he was a pure human. Pale yellow-white hair, and a cross around his neck, tied with string. The outfit he wore was just a simple brown shirt and grey baggy jeans. But the details aside, what disturbed Riven most…

'Why is a human here in the Underworld..?' Multiple thoughts raced across his mind, but he couldn't agree with any of them. There had to be a reason! He just didn't know why.

But as of right now, that wasn't so important. It was to help this child.

"Sir!" Riven called out, instantly gaining the human and devil's attention. "Sir, I heard that this boy is currently in a sort of loan with you?"

"Yeah, but the little sh*t's got the balls not to pay," he grunted, stern twist on his features almost causing the human-demon halfbreed to collapse out of fear, but he steeled himself to stay awake.

"What if… What if I said I can pay for you in his stead? Right here, right now," his words had an effect on his surroundings, as he was met with wide eyes and surprised looks from everyone around him.

The human boy seemed to look concerned and worried at the same time. The devil, though somewhat happy that he would get his money back, was somewhat surprised at the offer this stranger had spoken of. Rias, undoubtedly surprised, felt somewhat proud of him, even if it was all the more surprising. Serafall had long given up on holding her jaws from dropping into a gape.

Everyone else had begun murmuring amongst each other, confused why some child would do such a thing for some other stranger, and how he would accomplish it.

"Well… If you think you can, I wouldn't stop you then," the devil crossed his arms, waiting for the payment.

"Alright then," he nodded, withdrawing the amount from some portal he created, using his mana to open up a rift in the very space—a trick he learned from Azazel—he then passed it to the devil. "That should be enough, right?"

"Hmm… Yup," he nodded, pocketing the stack before sending a harsh glare at the kid, no words said yet.

"What? Want to say something, old hag?" He basically hissed at him, not minding the fact that he was being watched.

"…No," the old devil shook his head with a sigh, before he disappeared from the area.

"You alright?" Riven instantly came to the other human's side, looking somewhat concerned for his wellbeing.

"Why should you care?" The child shot back, not fully trusting the other.

"Because I know just how much it sucks for an adult to be looking down on you," he muttered back, surprising the other human. "I know, it's strange, even from me. But I'm asking you to trust me, even if it won't be much."

He didn't know what to say. Some kid, presumably a devil, just like all the others he's met so far, is putting so much faith in him? Some stranger he saved from some stuck-in adult?

"So how about we begin with the introductions?" The human-demon halfbreed smiled, offering a hand to him. "I'm Riven Hirokami. And you are?"

"I-I…" He stuttered at first, not knowing what to do.

Can he trust him? He could already tell that he was, even if by a little bit, a devil, indicated by the way his ears were slightly pointy—or he could've been an elf, for all he knows. But then, he did help him, and he didn't even ask for nothing in return.

Maybe… This could be his chance to make a friend, his possibly _first_ friend, so he took his hand.

"Freed Selzan," he answered.

* * *

"So Freed, you're currently under the teachings of the church?" Riven asked, the other human giving a short nod.

"And I'm somewhat surprised that you can still wear a cross, despite being half-demon," Freed grinned, relishing in the groan his new friend released.

"Even I don't know myself too, you know…" He sighed, looking to his sister a moment later. "So Rias-nii, is it possible to transport someone from a different dimension to another?"

"I'm not sure… I mean, it is possible, but I'm not sure if any of us have the power to do so…" She bit the inside of her cheek. "Remember, Azazel was the one that brought here in the first place. I'm not quite sure whether you or I have enough power to transport to another dimension."

"Yeah, that does sound pretty hard…" Riven sighed, scratching the back of his neck in slight frustration. "Okay, what are the other methods that we can use? The train?"

"Sure, but I doubt Mother and Father would allow us to ride it without their consent," she shuddered, imagining the scoldings that would soon come from them should they go with said plan.

"Shoot… Well, I'm out of options…" The son of Satan sighed once more, leaning backwards into the bench. "But guys, we still have time to do things! How about we go on that rollercoaster ride? It looked awesome!"

"I-I'm not sure if I might survive from it…" Rias, despite adopting a jesting manner, couldn't mask the stutter from making itself known, or the slight fear in her voice.

"Well, there has to be something the three of us could do together," the child hummed in thought, looking up to the blue sky, as if there were answers there.

And everything happened too fast.

"WATCH OUT!" The three children heard a shout—

*BOOM!*

"Ghaa! / Crud! / YHaaA!" They had no time to react, as multiple explosions suddenly littered the park, smoke picking up as the foul smell of burning filled the air, the screams of the people beginning to accompany the chaos that came before.

Peace quickly turned into, ironically, a hell.

* * *

Sirzech's Palace

"No!" Yuri had given up standing on her legs, unable to take in the sight of the destruction that was displayed through the beautiful television.

 _'The amusement park, recently built under the request of Lord Zeoticus Gremory, is currently suffering under a terrorist attack. Further investigation is currently—'_

"Satan, we need to get down there!" Euclid had basically jumped off the couch, ignoring the fact that he wasn't looking his dignified constant, but ignored it anyways. Riven's safety, as well as Rias's was basically on his mind now.

 **"…No,"** his simple, yet brief response did much to blow everyone by surprise. But it was the amount of seriousness that he injected into the word that really took everyone aback. **"Believe in Riven. I believe in my son, so I ask that you do the same."**

"Believe him to do what?!" Yuri rebutted, feeling the twist in her stomach growing bigger.

 **"Yuri, he's gained his human blood from you,"** the great demon began, licking the gaps between his fangs. **"Humans are curious things, capable of turning the tables to suit their favours anytime they wish. Riven has that blood in him, so I have full belief that he can do so."**

"And if he can't?" Grayfia didn't like arguing with anyone, especially if it was Riven's own family, since it'd mean that it was her own family after all. But this was concerning the child's safety, and she wasn't ready to risk losing him. "And what if he fails to wield his human instincts in this one?"

 **"That's why I'm very happy that he's a halfbreed,"** the Demon smiled, no hint of trepidation in his pupils. Rather, it was confidence. **"Because if he can't wield his humanity, than he will wield his demonism. And it is true for the opposite."**

"You can't expect him to win, still…" Sirzechs's tone was darker now, husked with dread. "How can you be so sure that he'll win?"

 **"Well, I guess my previous point sounded pretty stupid,"** Satan chuckled, enjoying the looks of fear on everyone else's features. **"But trust me on this one. He won't rely on just one of his blood. He won't wield just his humanity that takes logic into consideration, nor will he use just his demonic blood to overcome the challenge. No… he will wield both, as a human-demon halfbreed. As my _son_."**

* * *

Amusement Park

"…out…" Were those voices? "…You…out..!"

The feeling of warmth slowly rushing into his body helped him regain his focus, as Freed slowly rose from the heavy mass that rested on his ribs.

It was only after he willed his eyelids to part did he realise that it was Riven's voice.

"Riven..?" His voice came out as a husk, so he cleared his throat. "What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know…" The human-demon halfbreed shook his head, gesturing to the sleeping girl behind him, which was Rias. "Rias-nii is unconscious, so for now, it's just the two of us."

"Just great…" Freed clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, before standing on his feet. "We need to get out of here. Somewhere besides here."

"Never thought you'd ask," the other human smiled, picking up his sister in a fittingly called 'bride carry', before arriving at his friend's side. "I have a place in mind. The ice-cream shop. I have a friend there."

Freed didn't bother to say anything. He trusted his friend's judgement enough.

Quickly regaining their strengths, they paced towards their designated location, making sure not to get caught by whatever was here.

"Riven, get down..!" He did as quick as he was told by the fledgling exorcist, hiding behind some bench with his friend. Both children peeked below the space of the bench, able to catch a glimpse of lightly-armoured men.

"Who are those..?" Riven's question went answered with a shake of the head. "Alright… Where is the way to the shop..?"

"It should be east from here," Freed whispered back, a tired sigh escaping his lips. "This is bad… Why is Underworld being attacked?"

"You're asking me… Anything goes, I suppose…" The boy sighed, raising himself slightly to allow himself to move. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

"I'm behind you all the way," the other human nodded his head, following after his friend as they hid themselves in the bushes, sneaking towards their destination.

It wasn't easy, so to say. There were countless terrorists, and the arms they wielded were enough to put any simple military soldier to shame. Freed accepted the predicament they were in easily, but Riven was the one that took it hard.

"N-N-No, you c-can't do this!" A woman bemoaned, tears pouring from her eyelids as she was forced to the ground.

"M-Mama!" A girl, possibly only ten from the looks of it, was dragged away from her parent, whimpering at the sight of her bloody father off in the distance. "Oh Maou..!"

"Quit yer' bullsh*t already," the gunman that held her arm forced her to follow him, away from the eyes of the area—

*Bang!*

"NOOO!" The woman only screamed harder, knocked out with the butt of another terrorist's rifle.

"What should we do with this one?" He asked his comrade, the latter shrugging in response.

"I don't know. Kill her, I suppose?" He offered, rolling his head in a slow movement. "We've no use for her. Could have made it easier for us, but _no_! Just had to fight… She's all bark, but soppy bites. Pop her."

"Got it," the other one nodded, pulling out his revolver and aiming it straight at the female devil's skull—

*Bang!*

Freed noticed the way his friend flinched in response to the gunshot, feeling somewhat sympathetic with him. War was much worse, and they're only getting just a small taste of it all. Something like this…

'If only they never existed,' the fledgling exorcist cursed in his mind, before patting on his friend's shoulder, bringing his sights away from the corpse and bloodied scenery. "Come on, we need to keep going…"

"Y-Y-Yeah…" The child nodded weakly, following after his friend, but not before sparing one last glance at the body. 'May God take care of his creation… Oh wait, God's dead. Umm... Michael, Gabriel, please...'

And they continued on their way, not pausing to take breaks. Their body tired by a bit, but they weren't going to stop now. From just this day alone, Riven already knew that peace could never be attained if people like the terrorists continue to exist. It was because of people like them that war always spurred on. When one party attacked, of course, the other must retaliate as well, in order to defend its people. It was the problem that there were many that hungered for the flames of war, and it would indefinitely be such a hassle to truly eradicate the world of such a power-hungry group such as them.

He had always hoped that peace could really become reality, but how could it truly happen when reality was always so cold like this? This was just on an amusement park in the Underworld, but what if it took place in all the worlds and dimensions? The Great War had taken the lives of many, and he was fortunate that he didn't have to experience it.

But then there were the ones that had gone through it. It was difficult, but there was nothing he could actually do. Even if there was, how would he actually see it accomplished? The poison of war would soon drown every logic and peace there is, seep into every soil and earth until nothing besides destruction and fury was what was left behind.

'There… truly is no end for conflicts, huh..?' He mentally mused, not realising that they were now closer to the ice-cream shop.

"Riven, we're here…" The human-demon halfbreed raised his head in response, his peripherals giving him perfect view of the shop.

"Awesome..! C'mon, we need to—" He was cut off by his friend suddenly raising an arm. "What's up..?"

"Terrorists," Freed answered, baring his teeth into an annoyed snarl. "Looks like they beat us to it… What do we do now, Riven?"

This was bad. Counting no more than twelve gunners, it was still more than the three of them combined—two, since Rias was still knocked out. Their weapons seemed normal enough, as they were just simple ballistic weapons that made use of what Riven guessed were refined bullets, designed to kill anything. This was perfectly evidenced by how the previous gunmen managed to kill the Devil family, as normal bullets would have simply done little to just a scratch on them.

"…We need to fight back," the son of Satan answered, earning himself a look of disbelief from his friend. He ignored it, gently resting his sister against the ground. "We're outnumbered, sure, but we have the element of surprise. We could use that to our advantage."

"W-Well, yeah, but still..! Those guys are stronger than us, and smarter! They have guns, Riven, and all we have is just our measly little fists..!" Freed reasoned with him, trying hard not to sound so blunt, yet terrified of the situation they were in.

"Not really," at his words, he pulled off the same trick he used when he first met Freed, casting mana into the air to open up a rift in space, before pulling out two sheathed weapons. Freed just gawked at the sight before him. "I can fight, Freed. I've taken lessons. Plus, having my father's blood in me means that I won't die easily. I can heal, apparently."

"But will that stop them from killing you?" The pure human pointed out, a look of seriousness removing his earlier shock. "These guys have been trained to take out their targets. They're basically elites, compared to us kids. They won't hold themselves back just because they're facing a kid."

"I'm ready, Freed, I am. I can dual-wield, cast simple magic, and I have my father's fire. We can get through this," he smiled, the calming effect he had slowly taking its effect on his friend.

"…Uurgh, how can you be so optimistic in such a dire situation like this…" Though he sounded ticked off than anything else, the smile he had on his face spoke otherwise. "Oh well, I suppose I should get serious too then," he pulled out a Glock-17 hidden in his shoe, pulling back its hammer before shaking it a bit. "Now I've got a weapon too, so we should be pretty good on this one."

"Mmhm. Now come on, we're about to give the people a heck of a show," Riven's grin grew wide, as he clipped his sheaths on either side of his waist, before pulling out his weapons—Ascalon in his right, and Gram in the other.

"You got it," Freed nodded, snapping the bone in his left hand, before taking a ready stance.

"On three," he began. "One…"

"Two…" Freed continued.

* * *

"You sure there's no one here?" One of the armoured man asked.

"Nope," his comrade confirmed him. "We've got no one. Just a shop, if that counts."

"Of course that _doesn't_ count!" He yelled back, shotgun clipped on his back. "I'm talking about live people! Not some stupid bu—"

"THREE!" And the battle commenced.

 ***Persona 4—I'll Face Myself (Play Song)***

Blue flames trickled around his body as he rushed towards his first target, cleaving the gunner in half with Ascalon. The other gunmen had raised their weapons, but Riven was quicker. He tossed Gram towards another, the blade digging itself deep into his body and protruding out of him.

"Time to let loose…" Riven muttered to himself, snapping his fingers and allowing the mana he had discreetly released into the air to materialise, taking shape into yellow thunder that bolted three men, flesh sizzling hot with electricity as smoke poured into the air. He warped, using his fire, towards the body where Gram was buried in, and swiped away at another.

"Damn it, the kid's too dangerous!" One of them shouted, picking up a rifle—

*Bang!*

But unable to even pull the trigger, as someone had beaten him to it, accompanied with a bullet lodged straight in his skull, ultimately causing him to fall down.

"This is fun…" Freed chuckled to himself, strangely enjoying the battle despite just being a kid. "Crud, Riven's making this look like child's play… Gotta' step up my game!"

Five more, Riven noted. He wasted no time to bring Gram back to himself, running at the enemy in a 'Waki Tori' stance, before digging said weapon into his torso, blade cutting meat like paper. The scent of blood almost forced him to throw up, but he managed to get through it.

His friend continued shooting away, trying to aim for the vital spots, but only hitting the normal ones. It didn't matter, he thought, as it meant easier time to take them out later.

"Die!" He yelled, pulling the trigger and managed to cap away a gunner's head, retreating behind the shop's wall to avoid getting fired at by the remaining four. "Riven, needing some help here!"

"On my way!" The son of Satan cried back, sheathing his weapons and outstretching his arms before him. He could feel the little traces of heat emanating from the gunner's body, giving him an exact location of the remaining terrorists. "Freed, I'm going to freeze them! Take them out!"

Willing his mana to disperse into the air, it began turning the temperature to reach below the freezing point, ultimately causing a gush of chilly air to surround the men. He forced the temperature even lower, which resulted in the men beginning to freeze up.

"Hurry!" He shouted, trying his best to keep up the effect.

Freed didn't waste the time given, as he instantly jumped to his feet, firing away at the hearts of his enemies. Bullets flew, tore apart armour and dug into flesh, and everything was over.

 ***Persona 4—I'll Face Myself (End Song)***

* * *

Hours Later

"H-Huh..?" Rias could feel the weight on her eyes slowly dissolve into nothing, allowing her to truly see. She managed to sit up, but the sight of a battle that took place in the park definitely removed every sense of tire she previously had. "W-What the—"

"Rias-nii!" She could hear her brother's voice, accompanied with his view later on. "Are you alright? Are you injured anywhere?"

"N-No…" She shook her head, later clutching in pain. "O-Ow… Maybe I accidentally hit my head against the ground or something. But other than that, I'm fine."

"Oh, thank God…" The boy sighed in relief, later replaced with a look of hope. "Don't worry. The adults are taking care of everything."

True to his word, it seemed that their brother, Sirzechs, was already at the scene, speaking with some of the guards whom later dispersed, taking off to get to their duties. She could also see Serafall in the distance, who was being treated by several nurses. Euclid, Azazel and Michael were here as well, possibly scanning the area for anymore trouble.

"W-What happened..?" She asked, slightly scared.

"The park got attacked by terrorists," Freed came over, cutting his friend before he got to answer. "Bastards had the balls to do something like this…"

"Whoa, language," Riven blinked in surprise, responded with a smirk and a shrug from the fledgling exorcist.

"I don't really care. I may be planning to become an exorcist, but I doubt that I'd get far," he whistled, before his expression slowly turned to look afraid. Shy, even. "H-Hey Riven? I know that we may have met for a short while, but… Do you think you could do one thing for me?"

"Of course," he answered, not even holding back. "If it's in my power, of course."

"Don't worry, I'm not asking for money or anything," he coughed into his fist, mustering every strength to speak his mind. "D-D-Do you think you could r-remain as my… f-f-f-friend?"

Rias, despite having to just know him for, what? A day? She was surprised at this change of display; he had been showing himself as the confident and lax person, so to see that he suddenly grew to become such a timid person was such a world turner.

"…Wow. Just, wow…" Riven blinked in disbelief, standing up and looking straight into the other's eyes. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

Freed, for once in his life, felt afraid. He had never had the luxury of having a companion, much less so a friend. He had grown up in a harsh environment, forced to work his way up the ranks just to survive. He had no one to lean on, no one to depend on, no one to even talk with…

Riven was, if he had to admit, the only person he trusted so much. And if he said 'no'…

"Of course I will!" The opposite of what he thought was enough to send his eyes wide with disbelief. "Maybe it's just been a day since we met, and we haven't really done a lot of things together, but I'm proud to call you my friend! And if we can continue being friends, even when the going gets rough, then I'm more than happy to do so!"

This was happening… This was really happening.

"I mean, we just survived against a bunch of evildoers together! And we actually fought them!" Riven laughed at the memory.

The embrace that came afterwards almost turned his mind off.

"I'm not going to forget you, Freed. I'll always remember you," Riven promised him, breaking away with his awards-winning smile. "You're the unshakable exorcist who always has the courage to do whatever he wants, no matter what others say. Continue to be yourself, alright?"

Freed, so overwhelmed by his friend's bountiful words, nodded dumbly, eyes growing wetter by a bit.

Maybe… Life wasn't all that much of a b*tch, because there was someone for him now.

"We'll meet each other again," the human-demon halfbreed promised once more, the grin not dissipating even as his body was slowly getting consumed by the light of the portal. "No matter what!"


	7. Chapter 6

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

 _"For him, it was easy."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!*- Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 6: The Ouroboros and The Great Red, Two Unlike Peas in a Pod=-

"Wait, isn't that the exorcist that was originally the cannon character's enemy?"

 **"I-It seems so…"**

"…Are you still bothered by the fact that I told you last chapter?"

 **"Of course I am! Listen, I have existed with you in just six chapters, yet we have been written to have lived for as long as anything else has! And when I learnt of who you truly are. That your father was actually your mother's own offspring."**

"I know, I know. My father is my mother's son. My mother's first husband passed, and the undying sorrow that didn't want to leave her forced her into a depressing state, until her son, whom always had feelings that flitted towards her, chose to wed her. He had sex with his own mother, yes, and I was the end product. Now that you still know that, would you continue to acknowledge me as your friend?"

 **"Blast the gods for whatever they think! There is nothing that will truly replace you. Just as the protagonist of this story has found it in his heart to accept a stranger into his life, then I will accept you once again, as my friend, forever and ever more."**

"Thank you. Your words do much to soothe my heart…"

 **"Please do clear up any suspicious that the readers have, dear friend. See, LGBT is a fact, and it stands for 'Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transexual', if I am not mistaken. If so, then I truly apologise for being wrong on such a sensitive topic, and for even talking about it. Pardon my writer, for he has not willed me to speak of said matter, but I myself wish to. In any case, it is evident that many people in the world cannot find it in their hearts to love the other sex, and thus, paint their hearts to fall in love with their own, be it man with man, or lady with lady."**

"I can truly understand what you mean, and before some may start to write comments that picture us being rather offensive towards this subject, then I do hope that you readers can understand that it is not our motive at all. Rather, we respect it, for many falls under the category. Peace can only be attained if understanding exists between all parties. This must include the rich and poor, the smart and lacking, the blacks and whites, and especially the straight and… what is the general term for the ones that aren't?"

 **"I'm not entirely sure. Although, there is the terms 'homosexual' and 'non-heterosexual'."**

"I see… Then we shall use those words here. In any case, to see each as an equal is to accept them despite their backgrounds and other details, even when it comes down to this. But to put this all aside, what is it that you wished to convey at the start, friend?"

 **"Well, considering that our friendship could very well be much greater than anything else, I merely worry that the general may take our relationship as 'going over the border of normality'."**

"Ah, I understand. Readers, I truly hope that, if you had thought of us in a romantic or sexual relationship with one another, then I do implore you to rethink. Truly, my friend and I are indefinitely straight and fine."

 **"That's one problem down. Also, I hope once again, if I have said it yet, that I truly want no one to take offence from what we have discussed. Part of the world consists these people, so all we need do is accept them for who they are, if we wish for a world of unity… Now, to tackle the other. I was just curious what the first scene in the previous chapter was about."**

"Ah, that. Of course, even I found myself rather perplexed all the same. Curiosity is a poison, after all, and it is easily ingested into the system. A female dragon named Eve, and the Great Red. Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon. My, my, such a draconic scene."

 **"And to think that this chapter includes two of them."**

"Indeed. It spoke the names of the two powerful entities, Ophis and Great Red. However, it never did mention Eve, the third enigma. Even so, are titles of a story always so dependable?"

 **"I don't understand what you mean. A title must convey every information about the story the reader would dive into. For such instance, what of our blessed writer's other story? The 'Birth from Bytes'? From there, we should, even by a little, understand that whatever the being is, it is created from data, as bytes are the second most basic building blocks of a computer's system. Bytes are, a fact that is a constant, built out of eight bits. And thus, the being is of a system."**

"Of course. But mysteries are always fun, no? A sense of anticipation for what is to come, as one thinks of something, but another happens. This is, and I'm more than happy to admit, my most favourite genre out of everything else, with romance second on my list."

 **"Ha ha! Well, I suppose the writers, directors, newscasters, pupils and teachers don't call it 'suspense' for nothing."**

* * *

5 years ago

 ***Fire Emblem Echoes, Shadows of Valentia—With Mila's Divine Protection (Play Song)***

It had been a few months after the terrorist attack, and things have settled once more.

Life was peaceful once again, and everything turned out well. Satan had sent Freed back to the human realm, and the terrorists' base had been discovered, leading to their shutting down. And Riven? Well, he had been training even more.

Apparently, the rush he had gained from the fight did much to motivate him even more. And right now, the training was anything but boring.

The prince—he had resigned himself to accept the title—was jumping from treetop to treetop, currently scanning the area to search his target. Azazel tasked him with defeating him, much to his worry.

It wasn't that Riven considered the Fallen governor weak. In fact, it was far more than that. The leader of the Fallen was known worldwide for his crazy accomplishments, mostly about his love for SacredGears and the inventions he had singlehandedly built. If threatened, he wouldn't hold himself back from using just about everything he had on him to defeat his enemies. He was terrifying with his powers alone, and he could be considered on the level of a Devil Maou.

No, those wren't he things he was putting on his mind for now. Rather, it was the fact that he had to fight his friend was what he was scared of. He had promised himself that he would protect his loved ones, not _harm_ them. So the fact that he had to fight Azazel was like going against his self-rules.

So of course, he would have gone for hunting game and the like. But when it came to having to fight Azazel, he was going to just forfeit in fear of hurting one of his friends, but the Fallen wouldn't have it. Rather…

 _'Live life to the fullest!'_

O…kay?

The very same words that the Fallen governor gave, which was supposed to instill motivation in the child, didn't really make much sense with this whole situation. Eventually, Riven complied—obviously with much reluctance—when he was literally bribed with the latest game in the Fire Emblem series. And of course, he found himself loving the series very much.

P.S; the writer of this story, me, love the game too.

And there was, at one point, where Sirzechs had made a remark where the young teenager's planning and tactics-making skills had grew ever since he played the games. Come on, you can learn anything from games!

"Haha! Come on, young prince! Can't find me?!" The prince could hear the Fallen's taunt, but his words passed through Riven, not fazing him in the slightest. Riven looked around, trying his best to pinpoint the Fallen's position. Eventually, he closed his eyes to wield his sense of hearing, rather than rely on his sight. "Oh, you've got to do better than what you can right now if you even think of beating me!"

It didn't take long. The way his words travelled around like a boom, due to him practically shouting at the top of his lungs, allowed him to gain an accurate mapping of him. Added with the way that he basically allowed his mana to seep from him was just inviting him to attack.

"Aha!" The prince, having to have gained the results he was looking for, immediately dropped down from one of the treetops and made a run forwards, eyes not leaving the clearing in the centre. And right there, adorned in battle armour with, was Azazel himself.

"Eat this!" The prince shouted, pulling Ascalon from its sheathe and thrusting the red sword forward.

*Zk!*

"Damn!" Azazel clicked his tongue, back-pedalled after the scratch he got on his arm. It was the fact that his speed was so amazing, despite the Fallen being the supposedly faster one.

One thing for sure, Riven was one hell of a monster during battle or training. He had learnt on how to study the enemy, using their weaknesses to his advantage to get the upper hand. His constant wins against him and anyone else that challenged him to a fight—namely Euclid—made him a force to be reckoned with. It was the reason why most kids his age didn't have the stomach to ask him for a fight to begin with.

And it wasn't just a rare occasion. It _was_ an occasion. The bad kids who remotely thought of facing off against Riven were either predestined with two fates; either get their faces did in with the blunt edge of his swords, or forced to retreat when the strongest female devil makes her presence clear.

Well, let's continue!

"Hah!" Riven swung Gram next, liking the music that played from his earphones, soft at first before transcending to a royal boom, spurning his movement onwards, as if he were dancing.

"Whoo!" Azazel jumped away, distancing himself away from Riven as best as he could. He grabbed his scratched arm, unsurprisingly pleased with the results. "Damn! You're not bad, but you could do better!"

Riven nodded in understanding, pulling his sword back to his face, and going in for a blow. Azazel blocked his attack with his own sword he pulled out from somewhere, surprised that the child could still focus on the battle despite wearing earphones and listening to the music.

The son of Satan closed his eyes, trusting his body to waver to the pulse of the music, waltzing through the field as he struck against his opponent, dodging when he tried retaliating. The boy's movement was fluid, like water, yet strong like metal; enough to confuse the enemy with his endless movement, yet able to trample them the moment he strikes.

Not stopping there, he willed his mana to life, watching as they frizzled through the air, dancing in the air like the pulses in a heart monitor.

'Damn… His attack patterns are too random… I doubt I'll be able to know them any time soon…' Azazel, despite realising himself in a bad situation, couldn't help but chuckle. This was entertaining!

Slowly, he realised that the mana had been doing nothing but merely being there just for show. This gave him the thought that he had nothing to worry about, so he lunged forwards Riven, his own sword ready to attack.

"Dance…" He could hear the child whisper.

The mana submitted themselves to their master's words, flocking around Azazel just as quickly. He blinked in curiosity, wondering what was to transpire, until—

*Snap.* *Boom!*

"Gha!" He had no time to bring up a reflective barrier, as the blue wisps had instantly transformed into angry fire, combusting with the oxygen and burning away at leather and cloth, the powerful blow enough to send him spiralling backwards into a tree. "n-N-Not bad…"

"And I can do more…" Azazel gulped at the tone Riven adopted. This was bad. Like, really bad.

Riven, ever since being raised here, had developed into such a friendly person. He was always an optimist, looking for a way to settle things in a peaceful manner, and seeing things through a nice way.

And yet, battle changed him severely. He was much more sharper, observant. He saw the littlest of things, and could be cold when need be. He possessed intimidation as his weapon, and would push himself beyond his limits to deal just as much damage as he possibly could.

Right now, he was in that very situation, with the eyes of a true demon, the heart of a human… And most of all, the power of a conqueror. Of a true king.

"Well, I'm screwed… May as well do my best," he sighed to himself, raising himself to stand on his two feet. "Hey kid, come and show me what you can do!"

"Your wish is my command," his cold tone really did send shivers down the Fallen governor's spine, setting off his alarms in the process.

'Oh shoot, here he comes!' He braced himself for whatever hell he was about to receive.

And it was definitely worse than anything else.

Riven spawned his father's fire around him, directing them towards his opponent. They did so, zipping through the air like an arrow to its target, much too fast for Azazel to dodge, so he decided to block them.

The pain was real. Satan's fire acted not as any other fire would. It would continue to burn as long as the wielder wills it to, and it felt coldly hot. It was a strange way to describe it, but all he could use was as if he were being burnt with fire on one side, and being pelted with dry ice on the other.

Cold beyond the freezing point of liquids, and hot beyond the melting point of solids in the world.

It took a while before the prince finally began his combo. He rushed towards the Fallen, dissolving into the air with the help of the blue fire. Materialising behind the Fallen, he struck him at his back with the hilt of Gram, hard.

*Smack!*

"Hgh..!" Azazel brought up his sword to slash at the child, but found no way to do so. His blade was always being blocked by one, before he'd get attack by the other. This was, strangely enough, child's play for Riven. Even if it sounded fitting, seeing as he was a child, this wasn't fair for the adult here at all!

"The audience wants more…" Riven's voice was barely a mutter now, and it was because of this that Azazel found himself stuck, transfixed to his spot in fear. "Do something."

And did all sorts of things the Fallen did, as he tried to parry his attacker's weapon—a futile effort. Riven continued to return his opponent's efforts with his own attacks, slashing away with Ascalon, and even ramming the flat edge of Gram against the Fallen, such as the skull and torso.

He willed his inherited blue fire to snake around Ascalon and Gram, hissing furiously to match his coldness. He unleashed a flurry onto his opponent, dealing an amount of damage that was slowly nicking away at his energy, both physically and mentally.

"Curtain call," he muttered simply, burying his weapons into the dirt and rushing towards Azazel, frost and cold beginning to solidify around his fist. He slammed it into the Fallen's stomach, a quick and powerful thrust that almost shattered his ribs.

'O-One more…' The Fallen predicted, and he was true to his words.

Riven leapt into the air, forming wings of fire that flapped him high up, before he fell down towards his target, spinning once before dealing an axe-kick to the back of his skull.

*Boom!*

The sound of the Fallen falling head-first to the ground rung all through the battlefield and forest, setting off alarms and scaring animals away, as they rushed away from the field.

 ***Fire Emblem Echoes, Shadows of Valentia—With Mila's Divine Protection (End Song)***

The iPod of which Riven used to listen to the music clicked, indicating the end of the battle. Only then did he regain his previous self, smiling innocently.

The prince panted, mentally celebrating his victory against Azazel. But, after a while of the Fallen not even making any signs of moving, trepidation in him grew. Looking now, his body was literally black and blue. The strikes to him were painful, and he couldn't get up. And what's worse, blood seeped from his nostrils, and no doubt that from the looks of how his throat bruised, he wouldn't be breathing.

"A-AHhah!" Seeing this, the prince could only scream and run back towards the palace to get help.

* * *

Later—Sirzechs's Palace

It was some time later did Gabriel and Michael arrive, treating Azazel with curative magic. Azazel seemed happy, the goofy smile only steeling the fact that he was proud of the child, despite his injuries.

And it was even more time later when Riven finally returned home, sporting a guilty look despite Azazel reminding him that he enjoyed their little time together. He was hurt, yes, but he had fun—it was only scary when Riven got super serious.

And to wash away his worries, literally, Grayfia had decided to bathe her sibling, much to her joy when he agreed to it.

"In any case Riven, I can agree with everyone else when I say that you definitely are dangerous to face off against alone," the maid remarked, a faint hint of a smirk present on her features. She was currently scrubbing the prince's hair, removing it of any stuck mud. "Truly, I'm impressed that he isn't pushing up the daisies yet."

"I'm sorry… How's Azazel right now?" The prince frowned, asking for his Fallen friend's wellbeing.

"He's fine now. If anything, he's proud of you, of your progress and how strong you've become," she answered with a smile. Fortunately, this managed to elicit a smile from the young prince, something she knew she wouldn't get bored of until the very end.

She knew it very much, and she was proud of it than anything else.

* * *

The Next Day

Riven was currently taking a stroll through the park of the Underworld. With much reassuring from both Riven and Satan—mostly from Riven himself—Grayfia allowed him to go alone. However, he had to get back before dark, just to be safe.

And without doubt that everyone would be watching him. It's already been two times that he'd been in trouble just because they were being too careless. One was what lead to him meeting Kuroka and Shirone, and the other being at the amusement park, which had him befriending Freed.

And if they really wanted to add to the pressure, it was the first time he came to the world.

Of course, he couldn't blame her. Seeing that he had literally grown up with her watching over him for the past… How long had it been, four years? God, it felt so strange. It felt longer, as if he always had one his whole life.

Of course, he knew that he did. It was only the matter that he was separated from his family for reasons he couldn't hate his father for. With him having to have been dragged into the Great War, it was either have his son be exposed to the horrible environment of it all, or at least be safe from all the danger.

Oh well, it was all in the past now. Life was awesome, after all, since he's with the best family there it!

What caught his attention after that little moment of thinking was a wooden bench. It was only when he saw the sculptured wooden seat did he noticed that he was slightly tired. Strange, he had only been walking for an hour—Oh.

'Well, that's one mystery solved…' He mentally chuckled to himself, walking towards the bench.

He took a short glance around the park, hoping that there weren't any other people here. It would be shameful for a prince like himself to just lie around. Seeing no one, he allowed himself to lie on the bench, letting loose an exhausted sigh once he was comfortable enough.

While it wasn't necessarily as soft as his bed was, nor did it have any comforters to keep him from the cold, it still retained a suitable surface to keep him from sliding off, and it still beats sleeping on the cobble pathway.

He hummed delightfully, closing his eyes for a moment as he tried to get some peace, when suddenly—

*Pssh!* *Pssh!*

He heard the bushes nearby swaying and shaking, sounding as if something, or someone, had emerged from the bushes. He considered moving towards the source, but he was far too worried that anything bad could have happened. As such, he settled with pretending to stay asleep. The rustling ended, but then—

*Thud.*

"Hrgh..!" His body felt heavy. He couldn't move his limbs at all! Ooh, this was bad! He was stuck, and in no way could he summon his weapons now! But if he did something rash, no doubt he'd be in even more trouble…

'Oh God, this is bad..!' He gulped to himself, still thankful that he still managed to keep his eyes closed. It only took a little while of putting together every courage he had just to part his eyelids.

And the view he was given was, to be honest, somewhat bizarre.

She laid on him, body facing his as she stared deep into his black orbs with her own grey ones. The outfit she wore gave off a gothic vibe, maybe the variation called the 'gothic Lolita', as most kids call them. As he looked at her, he noticed that she was indeed a cute, young girl with long black hair down to her hips, but it was the ears that surprised him. They weren't normal, they were pointed tips, just like his.

"U-Um, what are you doing, exactly?" The boy sweat dropped, trying his very best to comprehend the current situation.

"I saw you, then I wanted to try sleeping on you," she spoke, her voice monotonous. It shocked him even more when she had just admitted that she wanted to sleep on him. It either proved that she was braver than he thought, or that she didn't really care much about things like that.

"Well, I… guess I don't really mind..?" He lied. He really minded. "But could you, you know… Umm, release me?"

"Very well," she shook her head in an understanding manner, before sliding off of him, landing on her two feet.

"You don't wear shoes?" His eyebrow raised at that. Bare as the earth below, her feet, despite touching directly with the brown dirt and soil, was as clean as porcelain. "Doesn't it hurt that way? Not wearing shoes, I mean."

"I don't find it a troubling thing. I'm much more comfortable without them," she responded, taking a short glimpse at her feet before looking at his. "I suggest that you try to take them off."

"I… I think I'd rather have them on, though…" He declined her with a short chuckle, somewhat finding her rather amusing. "So hey, what are you doing here?"

"As I said, I saw you, and wanted to sleep on you," she repeated her previous words, the boy sweat-dropping in response.

"N-No, that's not what I meant… What I want to say is, what were you doing here before you found me?" He asked once more, curious hinted all in his voice.

"I suppose I wouldn't mind letting you know… I enjoy the serenity of this park, I suppose," the little girl answered. "It is much more comforting than anywhere else. Quiet, and fresh. It's as if the worries in the world do not exist when you're here."

"Ooh, I know what you mean," Riven nodded with a happy smile. "It just has that sort of soothing effect on you. The other kids' laughs, the minty air, the perfect temperature… It's hard not to unwind here!"

"Hmm… I suppose you have a point," she nodded, before staring at him, eye-to-eye. "Also, I forgot to tell you this. You have her."

"Oh, it's oka—Wait, _her_?" The young boy tilted his head in confusion, lost with her words. "Who is _her_?"

"A dragon," she answered calmly, adding more later. "She's not from here. She was a whole before she became one of three. The other two are male. She is powerful."

"Umm… I appreciate the fact that you're pointing out who she is, but I'd rather know what her name is…" He hummed, still confused with the other's words.

"You need only summon her in your sleep," her cryptic words did nothing to satisfy his piqued interest. "Heed my words well, son of Satan. She is a valuable ally, and you must chain your hearts together through a contract."

"W-W-Wait a minute, how do you know my father?!" He asked in a quick motion, surprise wide in his eyes.

"There is no one, despite their pantheons or race, that do not know of Satan, nor do they not recognise his own flesh and blood," her blank tone of voice surprisingly matching her strangely cryptic way of speech. "Well, I have delivered the message I came here to pass."

"W-Wait, who are—" He was far too late, as she had disappeared already, warping through some rift in space. She was out of earshot, and the sigh he wanted to let loose finally came upon. "Man… Now what am I going to do..?"

He was distressed.

* * *

That Night

"Uungh…" Riven, for all in his life, had never had trouble sleeping. Whether it be on the floor, cold and hard, or the bed, soft and comfortable, or even on the grassy ground, sharp and pointy with a hint of sogginess from the rain that seeped into the dirt, he'd always find a way to pass out, asleep.

And yet, tonight was definitely different. He kept tossing and turning in his sleep, his teeth gritted as he faced whatever things there was in his sleep.

* * *

Dreamscape

Everything never stayed the same.

His dream constantly shifted from one scenery to another, beginning with his first step into the orphanage.

The looks… He was afraid of them. The way they stared at him, eyes leered in a way that would have killed any normal man. Some of them murmured some things between themselves, and he could hear them.

They called him a freak.

"H-Huugh…." With a breathless whimper, his dream shifted once more. This time, it took him to the time where he stood on a green hill, forced to watch as the clouds sailed through the beautiful stretch of blue. And then she came.

Blond hair, pigtails. A cute smile. Beautiful posture, despite being just seven.

They became friends quick. And she fell in love with him quicker, but he didn't know.

"Khhaa…" His breaths came shorter, quicker now. And it prompted his dream to shift again, taking him into a pitch-black void. He could feel himself, as if the dream had brought in every nerves, effectors and receptors into his dreamscape's body.

He was in his body. His real body, afloat in this endless space of blackness. There was no light as far as he could see, and even no signs of life besides himself.

'W-Where am I…' He dared not to speak, gulping silently as he continued scanning his surroundings.

Could he really be safe here? There was no way to tell. He couldn't really move. Gravity didn't exist here, so he just floated, accidentally defying the laws of physics.

"H-Hello? Hell…o?" He called out, hoping to get some form of response. He didn't care what, as long as—

 **"Hello, young one,** / Eep!" The sudden booming of a voice through the entire space continuum surprised him well, eliciting a bright yelp from him.

It was only after the shock died down did the being finally show herself. Arriving through a fracture in the black—as if this was some mirror—she came forth, and she was nothing as he had imagined herself to be.

She was no man spawn, nor was she of any of the three Factions. She possessed two pairs of wings, all black like her own body. Horns like that of a devil goat—he's seen those too many times in the internet by now—sprouted and twisted inwards. Her jaws massive, just as her whole being was, with her tail no less than fifty feet long and large. Claws that had enough strength to destroy the Earth's Moon if she willed them to. The eyes, he noticed, were black as night, but the irises seemed to shine with a strange glint of red.

This was a honest-to-goodness, holy sh*t, no-nonsense dragon!

 **"Milord, hello,"** she began, her massive jaws curving into what seemed to be a smile. **"It is a pleasure to meet you finally. My name is Eve, and I am a dragon that shall serve you."**

…Silence. He didn't understand what she meant, and he just had to open up his mouth.

"S-Serve me?" He asked, sounding somewhat scared. "A-Are you sure you have the right person?"

And what happened next was something he wasn't expecting from a dragon of all things.

 **"Of course I am!"** She suddenly bubbled with joy, quickly displaced with an unbelievable amount of fear. **"Or did I… Oh, no no no no no! I know that I didn't get the wrong person!"**

'W-What…' Riven chose not to say anything, just watching as the once-was calm dragon suddenly turned frantic, sweating in trepidation.

 **"But I did my research! I know that you have Satan's blood! Plus, you've got the ears going on!"** The last point made him sweat-drop. **"O-Okay, maybe that last part was strange, but come on! You have to be Satan's son, I'm sure! There is no way that I mixed you for someone else! But if I did, then that'd mean that I troubled some random kid, and Red would kill me for sure, and—"**

"H-Hang on now! You're right, I am Satan's son!" At his outcry, the dragoness ceased her rambling, blinking in disbelief for a moment. "Y-You were so busy talking, that I couldn't… say anything…"

The two, demon and dragon, stared at each other for a while, as if anticipating for the other to make a move.

 **"So I was right!"** She broke the silence first, the biggest smile he's ever seen plastered on her face. **"Yes! I knew it! Thank God, all Devil Maou, Seraphs and any other Fallen! It would've been so embarrassing if I got my lord wrong!"**

"W-Well, at least that's one problem down…" He offered, not truly knowing what to say in this situation. "But who are you again?"

 **"Ah, of course! How rude of me!"** She clicked her tongue in mild annoyance, shaking her head with a huff before looking into his eyes once more. He sweat-dropped, since it was him being rude that he forgot her name. **"To make things easy, I am Eve. A wyvern from out of this world."**

"Really?" He blinked in surprise. Riven hadn't thought that some dragon, much less from another world, came to find him. "Okay… But why are you here then?"

 **"Like I said, I'm here to serve you, milord,"** she enunciated the last word. **"I have promised myself that I would assist you, no matter what. And I promise you, I only wish that you are safe. In a way, I am your servant, as you are my master."**

"M-Master..?" Most humans, or any other beings really, seemed to develop a sort of ego just from being referred in a higher position than any others. They boast, gloat, things that Eve found intolerable. The way he sounded, it was as if he was disappointed.

 **"What's wrong, milord? Is there a problem?"** She seemed curious, thankful that her expression displayed none of it.

"Well, it's just… I don't really like the thought of 'servant and master', despite it being a normal thing," he answered, looking at her with a frown. "I don't want you to treat me like I'm some sort of god or master. I'd rather we treat each other as equals."

 **'Aww, he's so sweet~!'** The dragoness couldn't help but giggle at his words, playfully—and softly—blowing air at him. **"Then what would you rather our relationship be referred to?"**

"Umm… I actually have two suggestions," he spoke up, and the glint of curiosity finally made itself apparent in her eyes.

 **"And what are they?"** She smiled even wider now, looking at him expectantly.

* * *

The Next Day—Somewhere Else

 **"You… befriended the son of Satan?!"** Red nearly fell into a coughing fit the moment he heard the news from the dragoness herself.

 **"I know! And he even called me his partner!"** Eve squealed like a little girl, joyfully enjoying the look of disbelief on her friend's features. **"Heehee, you should have seen him! He didn't want me to call him master, and he didn't want to be mine nonetheless. That's so sweet of him…"**

The dragoness was now part of Riven's soul, thus she was transfixed to his soon-to-develop 'SacredGear'. Maybe he didn't notice it, but the times when the cross-earring he wore on his left earlobe should have been enough of an indication of what it was.

In any case, now, due to her current situation, she was forced to use a telecommunication magic in order to talk to her friend, who remained in the… wherever he was.

 **"I'm not surprised. He tends to see things in a way others just can't,"** despite the earlier shock, the red dragon finally had the willpower to smirk. **"I just can't believe that he asked you to be his friend, and partner. But talking about _partner_ , how do you mean it, hmm?"**

 **"Eww, gross! You are so disgusting, Red!"** He couldn't see it, but he could bet good coin that her face scrunched up. **"By partner, I mean the type that works together to solve a problem and the like, not the one where they make love and all that!"**

 **"But if you could, would you?"** At his question, she instantly fell silent, the only sound being their own breaths. **'Got you.'**

 **"…I don't know,"** she sighed from the other line, breath carrying a weight of displeasure. **"But really though, don't just jump to those sort of conclusions, Red! It's not funny!"**

 **"It kinda' was for me though,"** he chuckled, earning himself a pout from the other dragon. **"Oh hey, isn't it time that the kid's waking up? Shouldn't you, I don't know… Accompany him or something?"**

 **"Oh yeah! Shoot, I nearly forgot!"** He could imagine the way her face paled. **"Alright, nice chatting with you Red! See you next time!"**

The next thing he could hear was the line being cut off by a buzz, accompanied with a sigh from his own lips.

 **"It's not wrong to like him, you know…"** He murmured to no one in particular, flying off. **"What's wrong of a person to love her own partner?"**

* * *

A Few Days Later—Evening

The days were relatively uneventful, either with Riven playing with his siblings again, or training with Azazel.

But with Eve around, things seemed easier than before. She became his mentor in all sorts of subjects, able to simplify things for him before she went on to deepen his understanding behind its meaning. Then there was how she seemed to act as his own tactician during his training, giving him insights to his mistakes and boons.

To put it simply, she was a very helpful person, and he'd be sure to thank the strange girl he met the day prior.

"Speak of the Devil…" He muttered to himself, eyes wide that laid upon a being. A very familiar being, dressed in the same black and possessing those eyes of gray.

"Riven, right?" The girl, ever present with her monotonous tone, spoke. "So this must be where you live. I had not expected you to be living with the Gremory Household."

"T-That's because they're my family, so to speak…" He blinked, wondering just how she found the mansion. "And how did you find this place?"

"I tend to know things," she answered, the so simple response having him sweat-drop.

"That wasn't very helpful…" He muttered under his breath, ears perking up at the footsteps of a person approaching him.

 **"Hey Riven! You wanna' go eat some ice-cream? We've got plenty!"** He could hear Satan, his father, getting closer, until he could finally see the burning wolf standing just behind him. **"Heyaz! And who is this beautiful—"**

The boy didn't know much. He always reminded himself that he may not possess much of a mind—a lie that was too obvious. But he could tell, just by the way his father's breath was hitched in his voice, and the way his eyes shook with trepidation, and his jaws apart, he must have known this girl.

 **"R-R-R-R-Riven…"** The father stuttered, slowly turning to look at his son. **"W-W-W-Why is she here..?"**

"Umm… Because I met her in the park just yesterday," he admitted, gesturing to the wolf as he looked at the girl. "This is my father, Satan. And father, this is a friend of mine."

 **"F-Friend?!"** The father looked bewildered for a moment there, and it was the single last look he gave the children before he ran back into the mansion, his whimpers echoing in the hallways.

"O…kay. That was weird," Riven had never seen his father behave that way. "Sorry about that. He must be nervous around new people, I suppose."

"No. It's just that he knows me," she shook her head, walking past him and into the mansion.

"Wait, you know my father?" He asked. "And how does he know you? W-Wait, I want answers..!"

* * *

"O-Ophis-sama, a pleasure that you're here with us…" Sirzechs gulped, nervously swapping glances from the girl to Riven, and back to her.

You heard him right; the girl whom Riven met in the park yesterday was indeed Ophis herself, the Ouroboros Dragon, in the flesh.

Now, why was it such a huge deal? Let's put it this way; the Ouroboros Dragon and Great Red were forces that were to be reckoned with, blessed with a power to destroy anything in their paths. God himself feared these two beings, to the point that he forbid the Factions from ever going up against them. So, it was much of a shocker when she came here not to destroy their humble abode.

It took a while, but from what he's heard, it seems that during the Great War, Satan had foolishly allowed himself to fight against the Ouroboros Dragon. They said that when he came back, he looked as if he had, ironically, travelled through the seven floors of Hell. His reason for his terrible state was, in fact, his run-in with the female dragon.

'No wonder father was afraid of her…' Riven finally connected the dots, looking to his father who was basically shuddering. 'Man, must have been pretty bad…'

Currently, the lord and maid of household Gremory were sitting at the dining table, opposite of the Ourobros dragon, with Riven by her side and Satan and Yuri in the living room.

"So, m-may we know the reason as to why you've…" Sirzechs paused, searching his head for an appropriate word, until he saw Riven mouthing his answer, of which the Devil Maou mouthed back his thanks. " _Graced_ us with your presence."

"I merely came here to converse with your brother about a certain topic," she answered, turning to look at the boy beside her. "I assume that you've met Eve, no?"

 **"I'm here!"** The dragon in question called out, her voice sounding like the ones from a hologram. The shining of the young prince's cross-earring that hung from his left earlobe caught the attention of his siblings, as well as her voice.

"What in the… What is that?" Sirzechs blinked in mild curiosity, mostly cautious. "Riven, who or what was that?"

"I'm not sure myself… Thing is, she appeared in my dreams just last night," he began, trying to recall their previous conversation. "She was talking about how she was going to serve me, so… From there, we became friends and partners."

 **"It's a pleasure to meet you both, Lord Lucifer of the Underworld. And you as well, Lady Grayfia,"** she adopted a polite tone with the tone. **"My name is Eve, and I am a dragon who promises to serve your brother to the best of her abilities."**

"I see…" Riven could clearly tell that his gray-haired sister wasn't very keen with that answer, but he was lucky enough when she settled with it. "But why have you come to him?"

"Actually, I'm curious about that too. You never said _why_ ," Riven was far too quick to join in, curiosity treading trough his words like a thread through a cloth.

"And that is the second reason as to why I'm here," Ophis finally spoke up after a while, gaining all attention onto her. "Riven, you may not understand what I have to say, but I suspect your siblings will. To put it simply, you have a gift from God. A 'SacredGear'."

 **"Wait, what?!"** Satan's voice boomed from the other room, before he entered the fray, a look of disbelief plastered on his face. **"There is no way! How come I don't know about it?!"**

"Possibly because you're a horrible father to begin with," Grayfia bluntly offered, the king of demons feeling his pride shatter at his step-daughter's words. "But that aside, lady Ophis. What sort of 'SacredGear' does he possess?"

"That is the thing. Both I and Red do not really know," she shook her head, slightly disappointed. "If I'm not wrong, it's a Longinus-class 'SacredGear'. Though, I wish knew what it was. It is, to be honest, rather annoying."

 **"Fitting for my son who will conquer those who would dare rebel against him!"** The wolf proudly declared, his son chuckling bashfully in response.

"So I have only one request from you, prince," Riven immediately faced her, his interest piqued. "If there comes a time when you will awaken your 'SacredGear', then I ask that you train yourself to wield it. There will be countless of enemies that will come after the 'SacredGear', and even more for your life."

"And if that happens, then we'll be there to protect him," Sirzechs declared, the look on his face no longer representing the previous goofiness he had earlier, but instead pure seriousness. "He's our family. We won't stand back and watch anyone take him away from us."

 **"Same here. I may be old as f**k, but that ain't gonna' stop me from fighting for my son,"** the demon grinned, giving off a slightly malicious aura. **"Plus, even if we can't do anything, I'm sure Grayfia's more than ready to take matters into her hands. When it comes to Riven, she can get really scary. Take my word for it."**

"I will just ignore your words for now," the maid muttered, but the wolf heard it clearly enough that he shrunk under her vicious gaze. "And there are many that will protect him if we fall. Azazel, Serafall, Michael, Gabriel… He is not alone, and he won't be."

"Guys…" He would have taken this as such a tear-jerker, but there was another, bigger problem to all of this. "You know that I can fight too, right..?"

"Of course, Riven. Though, I doubt that everyone would just let you fend for yourself alone," his mother appeared at his side, chuckled, the son sighing in embarrassment.

"…Amusing. To think that all of you care so much for this boy," she remarked, the wolf nodding at her words.

 **"Don't be surprised, Ophis. The war with you should have killed me, but this boy gave me a reason to keep on living. Plus, he's the reason why the Factions are growing closer than ever, since their leaders are becoming much more friendlier with each other through him,"** Satan shrugged. **"And he's my son. Of course I'll love him."**

*Twik!*

"Don't you mean _our_ son? / **I'mmff swoooryy..!"** Ophis had always been fed tales of the great demon's powers and conquests. And to think that the greatest challenge he has yet to conquer, was his own wife, who was currently scolding him as she busied herself with pulling on his cheek, the latter screaming for the sweet release from the pain.

This was certainly amusing.

"So, is there any other reason for your being here?" Grayfia asked, a cautious tone taken. "We have all the time in the world."

"True, but no. There is nothing else to discuss," the Ouroboros dragon shook her head. "I suppose I should be going now. Thank you for lending your ears."

"Of course," the maid gave her a curtsey, before rising to her full height. "In any case, your visit was quite welcoming. Be safe on your way home."

"I will," she nodded, giving one last glimpse at the young prince before she warped away through a magic circle.

It was only after she was finally gone, a good minute later, did everyone let a sigh of relief leave their lips.

"Dear Lord, I thought was going to pass out…" Sirzechs groaned, looking to his young brother with an apologetic look. "I suppose that's all, is it?"

 **"Should be,"** Eve whistled, amusement in her voice. **"Seriously though, I never thought I'd get to meet with lady Ophis finally! But I like her brother more. Red's much more fun."**

"Ooh, tell me more!" The young prince chirped, disappearing from the dining room and probably back in his room.

"Well… Life never runs out of surprises, huh?" Yuri giggled, her husband groaning in a painful way.

 **"I suppose I'm fine with surprises, as long as m— _our_ son is safe,"** he quickly corrected himself, wilting under that otherwise sweet smile of hers.

Because, he knew better than anyone else, as her friend and husband, that underneath that beautiful smile, was a terrifying demon.

And he was scared sh*tless of her.

* * *

Two weeks later

The family have never seen hide nor hair of the Ouroboros Dragon. It was worrying somewhat, but they wouldn't let that get to them.

Riven didn't have any troubles, so everything was fine in the end.

Yuri found a fortnight incapable of taking away all her worries, but she wouldn't let that stop her from having fun with her son and husband.

Grayfia had recently told her that there weren't much cooking materials in the fridge, so the human woman had taken it upon herself to go and purchase the items herself, much to the maid's reluctance. She was enjoying this little trip to the supermarket, but…

 **"And that's why you have to practically worship women. I mean, Gods! They are just so perfect!"** She would accepted that the demon of demons was basically being his perverted self as usual, but to think that he was trying to influence him.

"Wow… I can understand what you mean, I think..?" Riven chuckled, the sweat-drop pretty apparent.

 **"Mmhm! And you can find millions of reasons to love em'! Their sweet and tender love, they orthodox of their way of thinking, and…"** Satan pawed his chest, the lecherous smile he had on not dissipating at all, despite being in public. **"The _assets_ …"**

"Assets?" Riven repeated, not fully understanding what his father meant.

"Eh-hem!" Yuri cleared her throat, her husband flinching in response. "Riven, would you mind meeting us at the souvenirs shop here? Your father and I need to have an important talk…"

"Oh, sure!" He nodded, waving goodbye to his friends before disappearing into the crowd.

"Well then, dear…" The sound of her knuckles being cracked resonated well in the air. "I suppose there are some things that you still need to be reminded of."

* * *

Arriving at the souvenirs store, he was given the view of any other stores, except it was filled with shelves that had stacks of wooden figurines, itty-bitty masks and other things. There were also, strangely enough, real-sized weapons, ranging from spears used in Middle Asia to the talwar from India.

"Wow… This must be a mace from Europe," he deduced just from looking at the blunt weapon in the display case, somewhat awed with the intricate writings etched onto the weapon's handle. "Let's see… _'And he who wields the weapon, would indeed ride the banners of freedom to war'_ …"

"Ah, so you can read Egyptian hieroglyphs?" An elderly devil came walking to his side, his slim ears reminding him of his slight own.

"Well, yes. I've done my studies during my free time," the young boy told him, the latter's smile growing somewhat wrinklier.

"Aah, the youth nowadays… You must be the young prince from the house of Gremory, if I am not wrong?" his question was answered with a nod from the young child. "Ah, I see. Are you pure-blooded, child?"

"No. My father is Satan, but my mother is a human," Riven had slight problems to tell this to just anyone, but it felt as if he were fine around the elderly. They grew with wisdom, after all, and they just seemed to be capable of accepting everything with nary a difficulty. They were the embodiment of calm knowledge, and he found it in himself to trust them.

"Aah, I see. So you are a half-demon half-human," the devil nodded to himself. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't hold you back for so long now. I hope that you'll have a good day."

"Right, thank you," the lessons of being a proper gentleman implemented in him with Grayfia's help, and his bow was just as graceful as any other, if not more.

The old devil chuckled to himself, giving a few simple waves before leaving the shop, a satisfied feeling in his stomach at conversing with the young prince as he left.

"Well, that was something…" The young prince muttered to himself. He took a look at the clock on the wall, somewhat surprised that a whole five minutes had passed since he's been here. "Huh. I wonder where they are…"

This was somewhat worrying, he thought. Maybe their talk was a bit longer than usual? Oh well, he could wait a little longer.

Thankfully enough, he didn't hear the sounds of his father getting mercilessly beaten up by his wife.

"Hmm… This shop has all sorts of weapons. Kunai, scimitars, halberds, rapiers—is that an assegai?" He whistled in surprise, looking at the pole arm closely. "This must be newly made. The wood is still smooth, and heat still lingers…"

Being half-demon has its perks, apparently. His brain seemed to be a supercomputer now, able to take in any knowledge just from glancing at it. Any volumes were basically his own supplements, bathing him with an infinite wealth of information. He knew almost anything, and could easily be the world's first walking internet.

Then there is the fact that with his mind's sharpening, so too did his body change, positively of course. His receptors seemed to be on a heightened level now, and he was able to feel just about anything. Pain, heat, cold, touch and pressure. All were constantly working around the clock, and his mind was very quick—enough that he felt everything, and could identify it all. He was stronger as well, taking brutal hits without so much wilting and able to retaliate with even more power. It was no wonder people feared him in battle.

'I wonder what it would have been like if I didn't awaken my demonic blood,' he would have thought, but he was too busy admiring the beautiful design of the kusarigama hung on the wall to even care.

"I wield two swords… I wonder if that's cool," his father was really beginning to rub off on him. "Oh well, maybe I could—"

The peace, temporary, was shattered like the shop's windows, later on filled with the screams of patrons and the regular customers. Riven, treating this as an earthquake trouble, ducked low underneath a mahogany table, clenching the legs to keep it standing.

But he knew, better than anyone else, that this was no earthquake.

There was a culprit.

"Get down on yer' knees if you want mercy!" Just as he thought.

Slowly, he peeked over the edge of the shelf that hid his view, giving him a clean sight of some burly devil with a shotgun slung over his shoulder, with the—wait, what?!

"Old man..!" The old devil he had just spoke to, still as calm and present as before, stood, slightly hunched, before the criminal.

"I suppose that you're here to rob the shopkeeper of his earnings, hmm?" He dared ask, the way his eyebrow raised so simple, yet so elderly-like.

"Of course, gramps. So move it," shotgun clicked once, he aimed it at the old devil before him, no sigh of sympathy in his eyes.

'Oh no..!' The child paled, ready to make his move, when the old man suddenly raised his hand in the air.

The way it looked to be open, flat, raised in the air for all to see. He understood what it meant. He wanted them to stay away.

"Young one, I ask you, do not shoot in front of the eyes of many. It will only bring filth to your name," he sounded demanding, but the calming look he had betrayed his tone of voice. "Think of the younger ones. Would you really be willing to spray these walls with my blood, even at the cost of defiling their minds with gore?"

"Tainting the minds and hearts of the young ain't my business. If they had to blame anyone, blame God for allowing someone like me to live," he smirked, the way his neck cracked sending a chill down the child's spine.

"Well, I suppose there is nothing that I can do now," he sighed, stepping aside with a frown. "If you truly think that you can get away safely, then you are sorely mistaken."

"Hah! If you're thinking that the stupid Lucifer can do anything to me, or even his blind goonies, then you're the one that bet his coins wrong," he bellowed from the deepest pit of his stomach, stepping out of the shop with a confident stride.

"Maybe they wouldn't be able to stop you," and this was when the smile on his wrinkly face grew soft, knowing. It stopped the other Devil in his tracks, as he looked to him with an angered look. "But the children of this generation are known to surprise us in ways more than one."

"Yeah, I know that. So what?" He huffed.

"You should always pay attention to your surroundings," he chuckled, the message only becoming clearer—

*Bang!*

"Gah!" It hurt like hell, ironically. The way something hard slammed right into his right cheek sent enough force to send him flying away a good feet, thudding against the hot bricky road. "D-Damn it… Who the hell did that?!"

It was rather surprising, quickly turned to pure anger when he saw that it was a chid that came forth, the steel-plated mace in his hands instantly giving him the answer he needed. There was no fear in the child's eyes—they were the cold orbs of one who was calculating his and his enemy's moves, strategising in his own mind as he awaited his next move.

"S-Sh*t… Brat's got balls to pull that off..!" He spat to the ground, momentarily surprised when his saliva was mixed in with red and a broken tooth. "You are so getting it!"

"I don't care. You're doing something wrong, and someone needs to show you the error your ways," Riven spoke back, the way he carried himself, as well as the confidence as he tossed his mace aside, the menacing look on his features—he almost quaked in his boots, feeling himself in the presence of a prince.

Which is true, to be honest.

"Okay, f**k this! I'm not going to hold back against you any longer!" He yelled, knuckled cracked twice before thunder began cackling around him. "Don't think, for even a second, that I'm useless in a fight! I'll show you what I can really do!"

"Go for broke," Riven settled, taking a stance at the foot of the doorway.

The way the wind whistled made it seem like some form of cowboy shoot-off, and both knew this was going to get hectic quick.

Riven, always the one who kicked things off, gave his opponent no mercy, whispering simple chants to cloak himself in a reflective barrier that weaved itself into his skin easily.

"Hah, don't even think that you'll get close!" The devil snapped his fingers, blue lights swivelling around him before taking shape into tridents, lunging forwards by his will and racing towards their target.

The child paid them no heed, still hot on his tracks as the blue spears shattered in contact upon touching him, slightly intimidating the older devil.

Wasting not a moment, he shot bullets towards the child's way, enhancing them with mana to pierce through the latter's magic. Sensing the abnormality behind their strength, Riven pulled out Ascalon from a pocket-dimension he crafted, slicing apart electricity before wielding Gram in his left.

He did his work swift, cutting tendons and wounding beyond repair. He swiped the red sword across the devil's abdomen, forcing himself to ignore the pained cry he let out. He jumped backwards, dodging the sword-shaped electricity from cutting him.

"Damn, aren't you pretty good..?" He laughed slightly, blood beginning to drip from the wounds.

Riven said nothing. He merely rushed forwards once more, much to the devil's chagrin.

"Hmph..! Spoilsport," he chided, bringing up thunder to block himself from the incoming attack.

Even then, Riven danced on the field like a flower, slowly nicking away at his opponent's health and avoiding everything. Slowly, he could see the toll his attacks were taking on him, as his breaths grew ragged now, tired. His sword struck at every weak points he could think of, and the thunders never did touch him.

"Blow…" He whispered, casting air into his palm before thrusting it at the devil's way. Wind howled louder, turning into sharp blades that cut the devil, again and again, not yielding at once.

The young prince ceased his use of mana, swapping his place with his magic to fight the devil. He leapt into the air, falling down in a few spins before guillotining his boot against his skull and sending him into a temporary daze.

"Strike once more," he told himself, letting his weapons loose from his grip to ball his fist, thrusting it into his enemy's gut. The force behind it sent the devil tumbling a few feet away from him, before finally crashing into the wall of some other shop.

The devil stepped out of the debris, spitting to the side with a look that showed that he wasn't kidding around anymore. His only thoughts of being handed by a kid. A _kid_ of all things!

"You should just step down. You won't win," Riven muttered, loud enough so the other devil could hear him. "I promise you. None will aim arms at you should you do so. You will not be called weak, as well."

"F**k that!" He roared back, not willing to discard his pride for something such as this.

This was bad, horrendously so. He had never minded a loss, but this was something else. He was being treated as a loser, to a _child_! If, say, the child was a rookie, then what would that make him? _Nothing_?! He couldn't accept it!

"RhhgHAA!" In a last ditch attempt to truly bring the child down with him—he cared not if he had to die now, as long as he slew the child—he casted his electricity all over him, his own shirt beginning to disintegrate from the force behind it. "CAN YOU HEAR ME BRAT?! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!"

*Boom!*

The devil burst himself forwards, electricity cackling like a mad king as it brushed and destroy everything it touched. He was moving at an incredible speed, looking as if the world had stopped just for this single moment.

But Riven could see well, and he was always the faster one.

It was time to end this, he knew, so he ceased the shaking of his hands. He was to meet him head-on as a prince, not Riven. He will do his duty, even if it kills him.

Though he was sure his family would stop him before it does kill him, especially Grayfia…

Riven willed his father's fire into Ascalon, slowly causing it to grow stronger and burn brighter, awaiting the single moment his opponent was close enough to strike.

A bit more… Just a little… Now!

*Shing!* *Tssk..!*

"..G-Gha..!" All the electricity immediately left him, as well as the spirit to move on.

He could feel it. The burning sensation of a foreign object in his gut, temperature slowly lowering to the point that he felt cold.

He dropped to the ground a moment later, blood beginning to seep faster out through the large hole in his abdomen, curtesy of the red dragon-slayer.

That feeling in him… Was it frustration? It must be. He was just killed by the same kid he was planning to take down. This was infuriating. It really was child's play for the prince.

"I'm sorry… And may your life beyond this existence be a better one," Riven muttered, the pained look more like a grievous one. Grieving for a man he killed, with his own two hands.

"Ghruaagha…" He wanted to curse at him, but how blood seemed to drown his throat, and bubble out of his lips, it just didn't seem possible anymore.

And even then, as the prince began walking away, neither he, the people that watched from afar, or the devil that was trembling under the unholy pain of his lost, did they truly see the purple mist that swivelled towards the injured one, slowly creeping up to him.

His deepest desires was all but to kill the damn prince. To take him to a world of pain, where he was the better one. He didn't want to lose now.

And it was at this moment, did his heart truly fall to the whispers.

*Twwkk…*

"Grhha…" That moment, in that brief time of wait, he could feel the way his heart had just stopped beating, unable to truly see the way the red muscle slowly turned black. "G-GhhuuaAGklHGA!"

And his body began contorting in a way otherwise impossible even to the most flexible man on earth, so much that it twisted too easily like rubber. His eyes slowly dulled, rolling all the way that the pupils were hidden in his skull. And his breath rose, stopped, like a piston constantly being activated and deactivated.

And then began the real transformation.

"H…y..?" The child's voice never fully reached his ears, too blocked by the ringing shredding due to the possession.

"W-Wrrjhougaa…" He smoked out, beginning to pick up his coughing fit to the point where his throat had ultimately shredded and leaked blood, until it finally stopped.

And then he truly died. And he turned.

*Kwoo…* *Phugh!*

"W-Whoa..!" Riven jumped back, spawning his father's fire in will-o-wisps around him in case things went south. But things already had.

For in the place where the devil had stood long ago, now lay there a black pile of goo, slowly taking shape into something, before truly fountaining into some form of a gigantic fly, scaled yellow from his head to his back. It stood on purple legs that seemed to twist a bit at the knee, holding a staff of bone in its right hand with skulls designed over its transparent wings.

"W-What the…" The prince knew not what sort of being this was, but he could tell he in for a rude awakening.

 **"Well, this is a strange body to turn into…"** The fly-monster spoke, waving his staff around in a testing manner, before staring at the boy before him. **"Well, you must be the one that weakened killed my host for me. For that, I thank you."**

"W-What are you..?" He dared to ask, despite his body telling him not to.

 **"You don't need to know that for now. All that you should know, is that I am here, at this very moment, and I'm going to kill you,"** the monster cackled back, viciousness portrayed through its maniacal grin that it put forth.

And in a swift moment, the monster spewed black particles in the air, before bombarding it at the child, powerfully exploding upon contact.

"Gah!" Riven was brutally damaged from all the power behind the explosives, forcing him back away from his new opponent. His skin were like on fire, and it took all his willpower not to scream there and now. "Crud…"

Where did this new enemy come from? It didn't make sense at first, but the way it said 'host' must have meant that this thing possessed the devil's body, before making it become his own. If so, then this was a very deadly situation. He can't risk falling here.

'There's too many people he could slaughter…' That thought didn't sit well with him, so he produced his swords in his hands, ready to fight back.

 **"Ahh, good to go? Well then, if you'd please!"** The monster laughed a vicious one, blasting more black matter at the prince.

"Hgh..!" Riven took to an evasive manoeuvre, avoiding each blast as well as he could. There was no way in hells that he could block them, unless looking for a quick death was what he was wishing for.

Changing its tactics, the fly-monster spawned winged lions to its sides, the beasts willed to life and looking more vicious than it was dormant.

"Uh-oh…" Riven paled at the sight before him. Now he had three enemies to worry about. How else could this possibly go wrong? "No matter… I just need to hold them off for the time being."

Plan in mind, he raised his swords to strike back at the incoming lions, cleaving them in half and dealing a burning damage upon them with his father's fire. He swapped his attention to the newer ones, blasting them away with a vortex of flames, cloaking them in searing blue before finally disintegrating them with a powerful burst of mana.

The fly-monster lunged itself forwards, lowering its head to possibly slam its skull into the prince. Seeing this, Riven jumped aside, casting a wall of ice for the monster to crash into. It worked, but it seemed to have taken no damage.

 **"My head's harder than it looks, kid,"** it boasted with a twisted grin. **"Let's see how much more you can take."**

With its words said, it summoned a mass of… unicorns?

"…You summoned _unicorns_ ," he blinked, somewhat taken aback at the fact that he would be fighting against any girl's favourite animal.

 **"And you best be prepared!"** The fly-monster warned, clicking his scrawny fingers together.

As if it were their cue, the horned stallions instantly rushed forwards, horn beginning to gleam brightly as they aimed it at the child.

"Whoa!" Riven did as he did before, jumping to the side to avoid being the blunt end of the horns, and from being crushed under their weight. 'What is… Bless magic?'

There was a massive trace of mana that emanated from their horns, and he could tell that it was a form of white magic. He didn't need to be afraid of them, since he didn't possess a weakness to the magic, despite being half-demon, but it was still enough to be wary of.

Not wasting any more seconds, Riven launched himself into the air, thrusting his open palm downwards and letting loose a hail of fire onto the beasts. He could hear the way they neighed in pain, but he continued the onslaught.

The smell of burning flesh, hair and even piss almost forced him to throw up there and then, but he wouldn't allow himself to do it. Only after were they finally burned away into ash or nothingness did he finally descend, panting.

*Bang!*

"Hraah!" Tired he was, there was not much for him to dodge the body slam from the monster, which sent him skidding on the road a distance away, until he was stopped with its weak-looking but actually powerful leg onto his throat, almost crushing his windpipe and oesophagus.

 **"Hmm, pity. You only entertained me for a short while. A prince like you really is prone to dying, huh?"** It didn't mind itself suddenly stabbing the young child's right wrist with his staff's end, eliciting a pained scream from the victim. **"Ahh, music to my ears~! Come, give me more!"**

He continued his stabbing, slowly moving away from the same spot that it left holes from his wrist, all the way to his arm, until it stopped at his shoulder.

Blood was wetting the grounds, and Riven could hear the frightful yelps everyone had let out. The looks of fear on their faces hurt him even more than the pain in his arm.

 **"You know what the heart does? How it pumps blood to your whole body to supply oxygen to it?"** It whistled, with Riven immediately getting the message from his first line. **"Well, what happens if it suddenly doesn't pump the blood? Let's put that to the test now, shall we?"**

It raised its staff high into the air, the wicked laugh it was giving overshadowing Riven's massive fear. He was going to die—

"Hey you!" The fly-monster averted his gaze to the source of the voice, his eyes landing on a crowd of devils, angels and fallen, all young and old gathered around him. "Leave him alone, you sick freak!

 **"Hmph. All of you are powerless before me, yet you raise your voice at me?"** It scoffed, but the stone he received to the head immediately rendered him angered. **"Okay, who did that?!"**

It was only after he regained his shaky sight did he finally see the massive crowd that surrounded him and the prince, easily topping 200 people. All of them consisted of the races before, and despite them being weaker than him, he would seriously be in trouble in these numbers.

"Leave the prince alone!" A little girl, younger than Riven himself, casted a simple ice magic, and blew a storm at the monster.

"Get away from him!" A fallen and angel hurled lightning bolts at it, the monster starting to get annoyed.

*Boom!*

 **"Damn it!"** The fly-monster cursed as he jumped away, body hissing in pain from the explosion. **"You better stop, or you'll regret it!"**

"Try as you might, you'll never get far!" An angel casted light into the air, blinding the monster for a bit. "Fire!"

"Hah!" Devils raised their arms at it, shooting fireballs that scorched its skin.

As the crowd attacked the monster on their own, a few of them had taken the prince away to a safer place.

"Are you fine, milord?" A devil woman asked, her friend using simple healing magic to close up the wounds as best as he could.

"Forgive me. That was all that I could do," the angel that healed the prince ducked his head low, looking shameful.

"It's okay," he shook his head. "I'm grateful for what you've done, but what about that thing?"

"Don't worry, everyone else has it in check!" A fallen smiled widely, holding his hatchet with his strong arm.

 **"Enough! I'm tired of this nonsensical nothings!"** The monster flapped his wings, blowing the whole crowd away that they dropped to the ground. **"I'm about to make life for the gods of death hard, by sending in wave after wave of souls for them to ascertain! Say your prayers!"**

 ***Fire Emblem Echoes—Praise This Despair! (Play Song)***

"N-No! leave them alone!" Riven cried out as loud as his lungs allowed him, but it fell on death ears.

In a swift movement, the monster tossed himself into the air, summoning a large magic circle above him, cackling as he watched mana beginning to swirl into a typhoon.

"Everyone, guard!" They could hear a devil's order, of which all of them took to protecting themselves with their magic.

"No, you can't—Hey!" The group that was just tending to him suddenly pushed their bodies over him, summoning a barrier all around them! "No, they're going to die! You can't let them!"

"We forfeited our lives to protect you, milord. Let us do this service for you, who has brought joy to our lives once more," the angel smiled, one tear let out as she and the others braced themselves.

"N-N-NO!" But it was too late.

The magic circle gleamed like fluorescent, raining destruction upon the town, and constructing Underworld a broken landscape.

The overwhelming mana had destroyed every traces of life, leaving a barren area, crumbling buildings, and corpses littered all around the area.

 ***Fire Emblem Echoes—Praise This Despair! (End Song)***

What has he done..? There was nothing, any more. This… It was madness.

"H-HaAA!" The boy screamed in terror as the bodies that piled over him, the very same people that had pledged to keep his life safe, were now nothing more than just corpses, with their blood all over him and eyes dull without life.

He scurried out of them, heart nearly stopped and mind almost shattered at the horrifying visage before. The peaceful looks on their faces, breathings ceased as they kept hold onto each other to block him from the attack.

And now, the sight before him was eerier.

The way everything, once alive and vibrant, turned quickly into what looked like a war zone. Bodies of both the elderly, adult and child were everywhere, losing limbs and with massive damage to their exteriors.

The cracks between the bricks of the buildings looked like gateways to some sort of nightmare, threatening to make him scream if he stared at them too long. He was losing it...

 **"Well, that's what you deserve, child. You were far too weak to protect these people,"** he snickered, relishing in the broken look on the prince's face.

"I-I failed…" He took it too close to heart, almost broken into a rag doll.

 **"Still planning to hold onto hope, young'n? Well, guess what? There is nothing, and no one to save you! You are all alone, and there will be nothing that you can do to save anyone else! You are forever alone, and will remain that way, until you die!"** He laughed, ever menacing as he was before, until—

*Boom!*

 **"Youch!"** The fly-monster took to the skies, landing on a building's roof and scouting the area. The sudden burst of fire he received was painful in more ways than one. **"Who did that?! Show yourself!"**

 **"I did,** " a new voice emanated in the area, its eyes landed on a certain wolf. **"Yo."**

 **"Ahh, Satan. The demon of demons. How nice it is for you to grace us with your presence,"** the fly-monster bowed in a mocking manner. **"And you are here to take your son's place?"**

 **"Nope. It's still all him,"** Satan shrugged, allowing his wife to heal their son's wounds, before handing him a sheathed katana from a pocket dimension he produced.

"I failed them…" Riven whispered to himself, eyes shaking in horror, still failing to notice the weapon his father had given to him.

 **"Kid, it's not your fault. That _thing_ is,"** he snarled at the being, but still failed to break his son out of his own state. **"Darn… Yuri, say something, won't you?"**

"Riven, what happened just now… I'm sorry, but it's not your fault," her words were slowly taking an effect, and her son managed to look her in the eye.

"B-But it is… I failed to protect them, mother. H-How is this not my fault?" He asked, sounding desperate for an answer.

 **"Because you're still a kid and you were never supposed to be doing this sort of thing. In fact, this is supposed to be the adult's job to take care of,"** Satan answered, not hiding his disappointment. **"And yet, you still took things into your hands. I'm proud of you, son, so give yourself a little bit of credit."**

"I-I see…" His father may have always been a perverted idiot, but when it came down to things, he really was amazing at instilling hope. "Thank you…"

"See, dear? You can motivate others," Yuri teased, laughing at her husband's blushing.

 **"S-Shut up…"** He groaned, a trace of embarrassment hidden in his breath. **"In any case, Riven, wield that sword. You want to take revenge, right? Use it."**

"I-I… What is this?" Riven asked, curious.

"It is a powerful weapon that your father had intended to give to you before, but your little playdate with Rias made him unable do so," Yuri explained, brushing her son's hair aside. "Riven, we want you to know, that if it all comes down to it, don't be afraid to run. Fleeing is a simple tactic to every battle after all."

"B-But people will get hurt if I run now…" Riven reasoned, looking between a cross of guilty and concerned.

He had ultimately failed a lot of people. Now, they were dead because he didn't fight hard enough. There was no way he could still run away after this.

 **"And that's why you must stand your ground now. Don't let that bastard win. Beat them,"** the wolf chuckled, tapping his paw against Riven's head softly in a patting motion. **"Eve, can you hear me?"**

 **"Yes, lord Satan?"** She called out from the cross-earring.

 **"Commence the contract the moment he pulls out the sword,"** he spoke in a cryptic manner—to the child—before giving his son a goofy smile. **"Don't worry. Just pull out the katana, and Eve'll do the rest."**

 **"You can count on me!"** She cheered, sounding determined all the same. **"Oh, and don't worry if I sound a little bit strange. It's still me, through and through."**

"Alright… Let's do this," he pushed himself to stand on his feet once more, no longer wobbly as he was once tired before. He braced his fingers onto the handle of the katana, before gripping it tightly with a look of seriousness. "Hyah!"

He pulled the katana out of its sheathe, but nothing happened.

And then it began.

 ***Persona 5—Awakening (Play Song)***

"ARHHA!" He suddenly screamed, his mind roaring so loudly that he felt his ears were in some form of noise bomb.

 **"We have fought, despite the short time, against all odds. I have seen your battles, from whence you were born, to the very stretches of your death,"** this was Eve's voice, he could tell, but how her tone turned stoic and unforgiving was chilling him to the bone. **"Sacrifices are a natural part of war. And yet, would you truly forsake the sacrifices of the people around you, just because you have failed once?"**

"N-No!" He was gripping his head in pain, screaming to no one in particular as his vision swivelled like a nightmare. "I'm a fool! But I want to k-keep going! Hyhegaaa!"

 **"Very well then. Allow me to ascertain your resolve by fighting by your side,"** she spoke once more, sounding like a true queen than he had ever given her the benefit of. **"Vow to me, princeling. I am thou, thou art I… Thou will rebel against those who forsake the lives of good and evil. Call upon my name, and unshackle those unworthy of their powers with thy own will, though thou be chained to life, death, and Mu!"**

"ERrghaaA!" The prince suddenly felt all sorts of things flooding his very being, as if he had just been shattered into a million pieces, before being forcefully, yet delicately at the same time, and everything began anew.

*Vroo!*

 ***Persona 5—Awakening (End Song)***

 ***Persona 5—Willpower (Play Song)***

"N-Nhaa…" Eyes open, and he was now presented with a new view of himself.

Dressed in nothing more but a student's outfit, but the black mask he wore on his face was more than enough to tell him much.

 **"Rebel, young prince! Against the hearts of oppression! Against those that want you dead! Against those that have forsaken the world!"** Eve yelled, and the prince's demonic blood awakened, producing blue fire on his head that looked like horns, a tail ended with a fire, and blue wisps all around him. **"Create thy own justice and retribution!"**

"Of course. As you say," Riven nodded, slicing the katana to his side with a look of steadiness. "I'm not going to let you get away, you hear me?! I'll grant you the mercy of death!"

 **"Ha! Let's see you try!** " The fly-monster laughed, spawning two humanoid-monsters by his side. **"Be grateful that I shall grace you with our names! Remember us as the ones that shall kill you! I am Beelzebub! Satanael and Anat! How long will you last?!"**

"More than you ever will!" Riven yelled, summoning a black dragon from behind him that roared with much power. "Eve! Let's show them who we are!"

 **"As ever ready I am!"** Eve nodded, ready to strike.

"Bring forth destruction!" Upon her liege's command, she parted her jaws, breathing out black fire towards the monsters.

Forming a line, Beelzebub and his comrades blocked the fire, but found themselves growing weaker when it made contact with them. Their mana depleted, and their stamina lacked even more so.

Spawning Ascalon and Gram, he willed them to life, floating and dancing around him as they glowed with his father's fire. He created copies of the blades, before setting them into the air and raining it onto the monsters. Exploding upon contact, Beelzebub was forced to summon a large number of zombie-like horses, before willing them to charge at the prince, as Satanael and Anat had just been slain.

Sheathed once more, Riven brought out his katana in a swift moment, decimating all fifty horses with a powerful fiery explosion. More summoned, and he immediately let loose black and red mana towards them, allowing it to disintegrate them upon touch.

"Eve! Ruin them!" He commanded, the dragoness swiping her large claws against the incoming stampeded of horses. The power behind her attack cleaved them cleanly in half, and sent the bodies crashing against the alive ones.

Beelzebub rallied his newly summoned creatures, slightly exhausted, and ordered them to launch a volley of magic attacks at him.

The snowmen-monsters he created blasted cold ice at him, whilst the other machine-looking monsters let loose fire, thunder and plasma.

Riven opened his hand, absorbing the magic before repelling it at them back, enhancing the damage output to the point where everything was destroyed.

He warped into the air, summoning a magic circle and willing his mana into it, slowly letting the attack to build. He then allowed it to fire, watching as the blast of blue and purple destroyed everything it brushed against, the shockwave from the tremendous force behind the power sending debris to fly.

Teleporting back to the ground, he impaled his katana through a monster, before spawning Ascalon and Gram to cut the enemies around him. He let loose his father's fire, burning everything around him to ash. He stabbed faster than a rapier, and cleaved half of the monsters remaining into twos. He was too fast to hit or evade, and too powerful to block.

Summoning Eve once more, he commanded her to blast his enemies away, of which she let loose her black fire, burning away at the monsters at an incredible rate.

Riven warped from creature to creature, slashing at them with a speed unparalleled by anything there. The little times he had been hit, none succeeded to truly damage him. He screamed, fire produced around him before growing larger and brighter, burning any that was so foolish to come closer.

Warping a few feet backwards, he propelled himself into the air, summoning Eve to breathe fire onto the monsters once more, before lunging himself at one of them, penetrating its head and kicking at the skull of another.

With a snap of his fingers, the remaining monsters were all psychically pulled into the air, allowing him to slice them with his katana in one swift motion. He dropped them all onto the ground afterwards, blood wetting the blade of the weapon. The ground was redder than anything else.

 ***Persona 5—Willpower (End Song)***

 **"N-No…"** Beelzebub quavered in fear, stepping away from the incoming prince. His steps were slow, silent, but hid as much terror as any good horror movies would. **"No! Stay away!"**

The monster foolishly let loose a disc of wind at the boy, but Riven merely backhanded it away, not letting his gaze on the monster be tampered.

The way he looked now, really was something. He was wearing a blue mask, and in a student's outfit. Why the second part, it really didn't know, but the prince was tremendously scary right now.

 **"P-P-Please! I beg you! Don't kill me!"** It whimpered, dropping onto its back with a look of fear.

"Is what the others would have said if they had the chance, yet you allowed them to die. And for what? Your thirst for power?" The prince spat, stepping forwards without mercy.

 **"C-Come on! Milord, there has to be something that you'd like! I'll do anything!"** It pleaded even harder, eyes displaying every fear it had for the child. **"I'll even leave! I'll never come back! I'll never disturb this world ever again!"**

"But you were born for chaos, and things like you should never exist in the first place," the prince's cold statement only sank the monster's stomach even deeper. "Be prepared to meet your creator."

*Shnk!*

In one clean cut, the monster now possessed a line that ran from his skull down to between his legs, dividing him into two.

It only took a moment for blood to pour out of him like a fountain, and its eyes turned grey. He was dead.

Everything was over.

And then, it took some time, but the outfit Riven had worn suddenly burned away, leaving him in his previous dress shirt, slowly as he passed out from tire.

* * *

Somewhere Else

 **"To think that the boy has that much power in him,"** Ophis calmly remarked, looking at the being before her blankly. **"What do you think?"**

 **"I don't know… I mean, I'm just shocked that he's able to wield Eve in that sort of manner. And his clothes changed too,"** the red dragon answered, before his look turned slightly annoyed. **"And what the hell?! What are you doing here?"**

 **"Came to visit you, brother. I just had to make sure that you weren't doing anything rash,"** the little girl spoke, the twitching of her brother's eye becoming more apparent. **"In any case, what was the power he used earlier?"**

 **"I'd like to think that it is his 'SacredGear', though I'm not so sure what it really is,"** Great Red shrugged, before his grin popped up. **"And I am so proud that Eve befriended someone as strong as him."**

 **"And I am happy that he has not met my brother yet, so that he does not be infected with a pathogen called 'insolence',"** the girl mused simply, and another war was played.

Ophis didn't really care. Red was pissed.

* * *

 **A/N: So looks like our protagonist has awakened his SacredGear! Damn!**

 **In any case, many of you should realize that the awakening sequence, as well as how the whole transformation went, was quite similar to Persona works, and you're right. In fact, I had ultimately decided that it would be how his SacredGear functions. Don't worry, there's more to come.**

 **In any case, thank you for reading up until now! I hope you'll continue to read, and maybe leave a comment? I'd love to know what your thoughts on my work are up to this point. Anyways, see ya'!**


	8. Chapter 7

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

 _"For him, it was easy."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!* - Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 7: A Dragon King, and her Lord=-

"…You know, I can't help but feel that some of the readers are possibly trying to locate us, and wish to burn our writer."

 **"What a strange thought. And truly intimidating, to be honest. Why is that?"**

"As before, we had just touched a pretty sensitive topic. I just hoped that none of the readers have taken offence from any of this. We're extending out arms for a united world, and to accept everything is a step we must take, yet I fear that some may take it as a war invitation."

 **"I see… I suppose I can understand what you mean, considering that we have, in the past chapter, touched a topic of sexuality. Although, should it really be considered as treason? All I see it is as nothing more than just a discussion."**

"Uurgh… I wished that I was born with optimism just like you. Though, I am still grateful to our Lord and our writer for the way I am now."

 **"Of course. And you know what? I had just been struck down with a thunder of questions. Ophis, the dragoness who seeks total silence, seemed to have only a short appearance in the previous chapter. It is rather strange, to be honest. Why hadn't she stayed a little bit longer?"**

"You're right. It does raise some attention. Where all the girls have taken time to converse with him and the like, it seems that their meeting has been rather down-sided. She stumbled upon him in the park, laid on him, he brought her to his home, they talked to Eve, and she left."

 **"And don't forget the last scene."**

"Ah, yes. She appeared briefly, but it was something to note, of course. It is, canonically, told specifically that she wishes to rid the Dimensional Gap of Great Red's existence to gain the silence she wishes. If I am wrong with my information, then I beg for the forgiveness of what could be a single person, to the millions on the globe. And yet, it seems that she's slowly starting to warm up to her quote unquote 'brother' of hers."

 **"Mmhm. I can see what you mean. For now, I wonder if she is planning to appear in this chapter soon enough."**

"It could be possible. Consider this, every being has a will of their own, unless they were some artificial intelligence designed only to heed its master's commands. As such, they are capable of doing whatever they so wish, am I wrong?"

 **"Indeed. Look at us, for example. Our writer has given us a will of our own, and as such, we are able to have this conversation freely. And of course, any mistakes that we have done, any problems that have arose because of us, then it is by our own will that we shall deal with it with our own hands, not let it befall onto other's shoulders."**

"Absolutely. It is our responsibility, as beings who have been given a will."

 **"Indeed. And for now, let's push aside all this irrelevant conversation out of the way, and make do with what this chapter entails."**

"Hmm. By the looks of it, as always, it would be considering the young protagonist of this story as the 'Lord', but I'm curious who the 'Dragon King' is. Is it Eve? Or Ophis? Or Great Red?"

 **"That is quite the tantalising thought, but I'd have to disagree with your suggestions. For you see, these beings are certainly powerful, and no doubt they will only choose to serve whoever they wish on their own timing. So let's consider the 'Dragon King'. Who can you say is one?"**

"There is Ddraig, one of the Heavenly Dragons, and Albion. Could it be time? It would be rather strange, to be honest, if it were the case, considering that he already has a SacredGear of his own. Remember, the Heavenly Dragons have been sealed in two separate SacredGears. One of which is the 'Boosted Gear', and the other the 'Divine Dividing'. By standards, the protagonist of this universe, Issei Hyoudou, would be wielding the first SacredGear. But since he doesn't exist, who will be wielding it?"

 **"Ahaha, that, my friend, will have to be kept a secret. We wouldn't want to spoil it to the readers too early now, would we?"**

"I suppose not. And now, the biggest question that has been hindering my mind, to the point where I have been unable to finish my volume earlier, is whether our young protagonist will be leaving for the human world or not."

 **"To be honest, I'd think so."**

"And what makes you say that?"

 **"You know how there is always a prototype to everything? There can also be one for a story. You see, before 'Resonance of Demons' was published to the public eye, there was an older version of the story not revealed to anyone. If I was not mistaken, it was called the 'Last TriWings'. It was somewhat similar to the story. The boy, an orphan, was raised by the Gremory Household. But instead of being the son of Satan, he was an extinct race of what was called the 'Triwings', a race of dragons that possessed the blood of the other three factions—Devils, Angels and Fallen."**

"That is quite interesting. Surely, there must be other differences besides his own race?"

 **"Well, his SacredGear possessed the descendants of both Ddraig and Albion, though I don't really think of it necessary to reveal their names, considering that they are forever lost to the history books. In any case, it was the fact that he does leave for the human world that should be considered here. I have no doubts that our young protagonist of this story would be departing for the world of whence he came from."**

"Hmhm. You truly do possess such interesting insights on the matter. Humour me. What was the previous protagonist's name?

 **"It was just as similar to this own's, yet his surname was different, taken from a prince of a kingdom that fell to another kingdom, and his father was a powerful king who granted his son the 'Sword of the Father'. His name was 'Riven Lucis Calum'."**

* * *

4 Years Ago

"Twelve years old…" Riven sighed to himself, playing lightly with the blanket he was holding in his arms. "I was eight when I came here, and four years have passed. Time really does go in the blink of an eye."

As Riven contemplated on his life, the child was busy looking up to the starry night from the balcony of his own bedroom, puzzled all the same. The stars were so beautiful, yet, from what he's heard, the brighter they were, the sooner they would die.

"I wonder what happens if all the stars do go out at the same time," he wondered, but shook that thought off a moment later. "Oh well, no use thinking about things like this, if it's going to happen millennia later. For now, I'd better get to bed, lest Grayfia would kill me…"

Of course, he knew that would never come. She loved him too much to even hurt him.

* * *

The Next Day

"Mmm! Oh, Riven! That was divine!" Sirzechs chirped, just having to finish his own plate of the Fritata his young brother had made for him. Grayfia appeared a moment later, pouring oolong tea into a cup before handing it to the Devil Maou.

"It's nothing, really," Riven replied, unsure whether he was good or not. When the shape of a cup came into his peripherals, he took it, nodding his thanks to the maid. "To be honest, it was a moment of do-or-don't. I wasn't sure what to make, so I just used whatever I saw in the fridge and… made something."

"Whoa, that's amazing," Rias gasped in awe, setting her cutlery down onto her own plate. "I mean, most people would need to look at a recipe before they do something. And even then, they'd need years of practice to make something as good as what you made."

"I can agree with your sister wholeheartedly," Yuri added, smiling at the redhead, whom returned it all the same.

This was amazing.

What was, you might be thinking? It was how his family was getting so along now. How everyone were truly becoming one huge family now.

His blood parents, Yuri and Satan, and his adoptive ones, Zeoticus and Venelana. Then there's his siblings, Rias, Sirzechs, Grayfia and Euclid. All of them were here now, sitting around this very dining table, eating the dish he made and conversing with one another with nary a problem.

This peace… He wanted to protect it. And with his vow to Eve, he swore that there will be nothing to take it away.

 **"Shouldn't they be here by now?"** Satan chimed in a moment later, gaining everyone's attention. **"What? What are you looking at me for?"**

"Who do you mean by 'they', father?" Euclid asked, sipping away from his teacup.

 **"Well, I just got a phone call from some guys that wanna' join us for breakfast,"** the Demon answered, licking between his claws. **"Mmm, salty… Eh, I mean, Riven's dish! It was salty!"**

"Wait, really?" The child in question blinked in surprise, a pained look adopted a moment later. "S-Sorry… I guess I'm still not good at estimating how much I put in something to the dish…"

*Smack!*

 **"Gah!"** Of course, everyone knew it was a lie—Riven's dish was perfect. As such, it made perfect sense that he was hit by every girl there was there, leaving Sirzechs, Zeoticus and Euclid to sweat-drop in fear.

"I-In any case, who are the ones coming?" Zeoticus changed the topic, hoping that there would be no unnecessary violence to be prolonged.

 **"Umm, let's see… I got a call from Azazel, who said he was bringing over a kid Riven's age over,"** at this, the child perked in curiosity. **"Then I got one from Gabriel and Michael. And then there's Serafall and her family, including Sona."**

"Ah, Sona. It's been some time since I met," Rias smiled, earning his brother's attention. "Sona is the next heiress of the Sitri Household. She's a friend I met the other day, and the girl at the park you saved."

"Aah, _that_ one…" The prince nodded in understanding, wearing his ready face and getting off his chair. "Well, better get started, I suppose."

 **"Hey kid,"** the human-demon halfbreed turned to his father, who was sporting a guilty look. **"Your dish wasn't salty, don't worry… It was bonafide."**

"Father…" His father may be an idiot, but every word of compliment only spurred the child on. "Don't worry, I'll make it even better!"

And off the child marched into the kitchen, preparing the utensils he would need to make a dish that would soon come to satisfy the other's bellies.

* * *

An Hour Later

"So, this is the kid that I was talking about," Azazel spoke, happily grinning in Riven's way. "He's a bit shy, but don't mind him. He's a good kid at heart. Hey, Vali! Get over here and say hello!"

"R-Right..!" A little voice answered, soon being portrayed as a little boy with powdery snow hair, grey dress shirt and simple trousers. He looked afraid, as if he were in some foreign world. "V-Vali… Pleasure to meet you…"

 **"…Azazel, why the hells is a kid of Lucifer here,"** Satan asked, everyone turning to him with eyes of surprise, especially the child in question. **"I'm not going to accuse you of anything, so you'd better spill it, else I go to his parents to find answers."**

"Yeesh, you really are perceptive than anyone else here…" The Fallen Governor sighed in defeat, scratching his goatee with a pitiful look. "Vali Lucifer, that's who the kid is. He's been abused by his father and grandfather, so he left his family behind. I picked him up one day I met him, and just raised him in Grigori. I mean, I couldn't just ignore him now, could I?"

"He's just like me…" Riven suddenly appeared, sporting a confused, yet worried look all the same. It was all soon replaced by a simple, welcoming smile. "Then all we have to do is just welcome him, right?"

"W-What..?" Vali stepped back, somewhat cautious of the boy.

"The name's Riven Hirokami," the other boy introduced himself, stepping forwards and outstretching his hand. "And you're Vali Lucifer, right? It's good to meet you!"

"R-Right…" Slowly, the white-haired boy took the other's hand, giving it a soft shake, before he was suddenly pulled off to somewhere else. "Whoa!"

"Come on, let's go to my bedroom for a little chat!" Riven suggested, not even giving the other child a time to accept or deny as he just dragged him off.

"Well, looks like they'll get along fine," Azazel chuckled, with the wolf joining him with his own.

 **"Hey, he's my son. Plus, if he's managed to bring all of us closer, what's so hard about him with someone else?"** Satan laughed.

* * *

Riven's Bedroom

"Nice place you have here…" Vali muttered, somewhat insecure from being somewhere not close to the crowd.

"Thanks. It's pretty simple though," Riven grinned, sitting on his bed and patting on the empty spot beside him, of which was filled by his new friend. "So, you ran, huh?"

"Y-Yeah…" The white-haired boy nodded, biting the inside of his cheek.

 **'Riven, please be careful when trekking upon this sort of subject. He's still pretty sore about it, you know,'** Eve spoke in Riven's mind, the boy making a mental nod.

'I know. That's why we need to be open about it if I want him to trust me,' he answered in his mind, before returning to reality. "Do you regret what you did?"

"W-Why are you asking me about this?" The other child seemed bothered by his question, looking ready just to leave the room.

"Because I want to know how you feel," Riven shrugged, much too easily in this sort of situation. "So your father and grandfather were constantly bullying you, I assume. And Azazel took you in, making him your surrogate father, but that's not what I brought you here to talk about."

"W-What?" Vali was honestly surprised at this, immediately turning his face to look at the other's. "So why _did_ you bring here?"

"I wanted to know what you want to do now, considering that you've left your family behind," the prince whistled, patiently waiting for the young Lucifer's answer.

"I-I… I want to become stronger," he answered, balling his fists in slight frustration. "I want to take revenge on my father and grandfather, for what they've done."

"And I bet that it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they've bullied you so far," he spoke once more, earning a shocked look from his friend. "Listen, Vali. I know the difference between revenge and vengeance. You're not swearing revenge at all. You want to take vengeance for some other injury that they've caused."

"I-Isn't it all the same..?" Vali sweat-dropped, earning a simple smile from the other child, thus sighing in the end. "Well, I suppose you're right about it. It's just… I want to fight them, because they also hurt my mother."

"Was your mother nice?" Riven asked.

"She was the most amazing person ever. In fact, she was the only reason I remained there a little longer. I wanted to protect her…" He smiled in adoration and longing. "Man… That felt nice to get off my chest."

"So you want to grow stronger, so to protect your mother," the prince nodded in understanding. "You know, I had been sniffing your scent just now, and it seems you're not pure devil. Your mother's human, isn't she?"

"Wow… You really know a lot of things, huh?" Vali sighed, the other half-human smiling brightly.

"Mmhm. But I gotta' say, that must be really brave of her. For her to marry a devil," he could relate that to his own mother, who wedded Satan, the Demon of demons. "It almost feels like we're similar, huh?"

"Haha, it's such a coincidence," Vali chuckled softly, shy still. "Hey, Riven? T-Thanks… For, you know…"

"Nah, it's okay. I just wanted to be your friend from the very start, so I thought getting your barriers down was the best way to do so," he shrugged in response. "In any case, let's get back to the others, in case they start thinking that we'd become shut-ins."

"Yeah, let's go!" Vali nodded in agreement, following after Riven as they left the room.

* * *

Later

"You know, that kid never does seem to end with his surprises," Azazel blinked in disbelief, watching Vali and Riven, the two half-humans, playing cards with Rias and Sona. "Seriously though, it took me four days just for him to warm up to me, and it only takes Riven forty minutes to become friends with him! It's not fair!"

"Well, considering that this _is_ Riven…" Michael laughed with everyone else at the Fallen's disappointment. "In any case, Sirzechs. What has gotten to you, friend? You look distraught."

"O-Oh? Sorry, it's nothing. There was something I wanted to tell Riven, but it seemed to have slipped my mind," he admitted, swapping a brief glance at the children.

Only to see Riven happily slamming a card onto the table, much to the other children's dismay. He had won. Again.

"So he's easy to talk to, very friendly, skilled at cooking, and has amazing luck. Damn, Satan, what did you do to your son?" The Fallen smiled.

 **"Hey, don't be putting the accusation on me. I didn't do nothing except form a zygote with my wife by having my sperm combine with her ovum, which then turned into an embryo, a foetus a moment later, and finally him,"** he smiled, triumphantly.

"…You didn't have to use the science in your explanation, you know," everyone sighed in disappointment, worried that the Demon's son would turn out to be like him in the future.

"Well, at least he does know how to enlighten the situation," Gabriel offered, earning nods from everyone else there.

"Hmm… Ahah! Now I remember! Riven will be getting his Familiar tomorrow night!" He snapped his fingers in joy, gaining surprised looks from everyone else.

"But he's so young," Michael blinked, somewhat perplexed.

"True, but it never hurts to get something ahead of time. Plus, considering how strong he already is, is it so wrong for him to get a Familiar now?" Sirzechs told, his Fallen friend shuddering.

"Strong, you say? If anything, he's the very definition of power…" Azazel's whimpering voice got the message well across for everyone there.

If even Azazel, one of the most strongest and deceptive person there is, fears Riven in battle, then there was no doubt that fighting off against the human-demon halfbreed would just be a death invitation. Except, they knew, it'd just be enough to knock them out, considering that the boy doesn't have enough courage to kill his loved ones.

"Grayfia, would you mind calling Riven over?" He politely asked.

"Of course," she gave a bow, before walking over to where the children were. "Riven, Sirzechs wishes to speak with you. If you would?"

"Oh, alright. Hang on…" He flipped one more card onto the table, earning a volley of gasps from his friends as he stood away from the table. "Let's go."

"A-Alright…" She sweat-dropped, shocked all the same when her brother had just won that game, _again_. This was already his twelfth win.

"H-Hey, wait up!" Rias called out, following after her little brother with Vali and Sona in tow.

"Aniki-san, you called me earlier. Was there something that you needed to tell me?" Riven asked, the curiosity that traced itself through his words more apparent through his shining eyes.

"Of course. You see, you are about to get your Familiar tomorrow night," he explained, earning himself a confused look from the child.

"W-Well, I'm not really sure what a… _Familiar_ is," the boy tilted his head to the side. Sirzechs was about to explain, when Grayfia decided to interrupt.

"Familiars, Riven, are beings that you can summon anytime to assist you in problems. This includes fighting or delivering flyers," Grayfia explained slowly, making sure that the prince was able to absorb every piece of information.

"Mmhm! I have my own too," Rias chimed in, summoning a bat monster on her shoulder, which looked at the boy, before chirping a joyous tune.

"Aww, it looks cute~!" The prince giggled, patting its head, before looking back to his older brother with an eager look. "When can I get mine?!"

"Well, as I said before, you'll be getting yours tomorrow night," the redhead Devil Maou answered, before a concerned look took over his features. "But I'm not fully confident with you going alone. It sounds much too dangerous…"

"T-Then… Can I go with him?" All heads turned, as swift as a bullet train, to the source of the voice, the owner flinching in response. "I-If you don't mind..!"

"Vali? Seriously?" The Fallen himself felt somewhat surprised. Knowing Vali, who was always a shy and terrified kid who didn't like going out on dangerous expeditions, to hear him voluntarily wanting to join his new friend in this very dangerous trek was just out-of-the-world.

"I-I just want to know, how the Forest of Familiars would be like," he answered, averting his gaze from everyone else's stares.

"Is that the place where all Familiars are at?" Riven asked, earning himself a nod from his human-devil halfbreed friend.

"Yeah. You're able to encounter all sorts of Familiars there. But… there has been a curious topic that I haven't been able to fully comprehend about it all," he explained. "I may have forgotten about it... Either way, it's the best place to find a Familiar."

"Well, now that you said it, I'm more than ready to see what they look like!" The child was already too exuberant for his own good, despite knowing full well it wouldn't be today.

 **"Hey, let's give the kids, a chance, eh?"** At his suggestion, the children in question perked up in excitement. **"I mean, come on. It'd be a good experience. If things go south, then they could always fight back. Riven's strong enough to take them on if Vali won't be able to do much."**

"S-Sorry if I'll be holding you back then…" The young Lucifer apologised with a guilty expression.

"Nah, don't worry about it. There'll be other ways you can help me out," the son of Satan reassured his friend, the latter calming down with a smile.

"Are you sure that they're up for this, dear?" Yuri asked, somewhat concerned. "I'm just not confident enough to send Riven and Vali off on their own. It's dangerous there."

 **"I know. But trust in our prince, Yuri. You've seen what he's managed to do before,"** everyone's minds instantly tuned in the sight of the heated battle before, when he formed the contract with Eve and decimated the monster and all of its forces. **"He's powerful, even more than me I could assume. So let's give him this chance. He needs this."**

"Nggh…" Still unsure, the mother turned to her son in exchange. "Riven, are you sure you can handle this? We won't force you, but…"

"Mother, trust me on this one. I know I've made many mistakes…" At his statement, his expression turned grim, accepting. He knew that there was no rewinding to his sins or faults, but at the very least, he would continue to live on for the lost. "But I want to do this. I can atone for my own mistakes, and hope that I won't make more in the future."

"Riven…" Yuri almost cried there and then, but instead of that, she allowed herself a little smile to bloom. "You are such a fine man… Even finer than your father."

 **"Hey..!"** The wolf whined. Having to be defeated by his son when it came to a thing was just mortifying. Not enough that it made him hate his own son, but enough that it only added comedy into the mix.

"Well then, Riven," the child in question turned to his silver-haired brother, who was sitting on the couch, enjoying the documentary on the television. "Hope you get something amazing."

* * *

The Next Day—Night Time

It was finally the time to get his Familiar. Vali had stayed over at his home just for the fun of it, and it seemed that the half-humans there had gotten even more along than ever before.

In any case, everyone had gathered tonight to bid the children good luck and farewell. The two in question were mixed with all sorts of emotions; giddiness, concerned, terrified and excited. This would be their first time into the Forest of Familiars, and without any assistance to boot.

Of course, there was a Familiars master, but they had requested that this would a journey on their own. It was hard for them to comply at first, but Sirzechs and Grayfia managed to get a call on the Familiars Master about the matter.

"Vulneraries, consumables, water, a map, other supplies… Do you have everything on you?" Yuri asked, her motherly side coming to full display.

'Amazing… To think that she's taking everything into account. His safety, equipment, preparedness… I will need to take lessons from her soon enough,' Grayfia thought, awed with her human mother's ability.

"Yes, mother. We have everything we'll be needing," he nodded his head, turning to face his friend, who will be accompanying him on this one. "Vali, do you need to do anything else? Bathroom, maybe?"

"No, Riven. I'm fine," the young Lucifer shook his head, his facial expression displaying his worry and readiness. "Come on. The quicker, the better."

"You got that right!" The prince smiled goofily, shifting his attention to his father. "Come on, father! Summon the gate you used last time!"

 **"Yeah, got it,"** the wolf nodded, before asking the children to make way. He bit into his paw, hard, and drew a magic circle onto the floor with the blood that flowed out. **"Fun fact, blood is the strongest catalyst for anything. Magic, summoning, teleporting. While some people would use, say… Chalk? Blood possesses a powerful affinity for just about everything."**

"So does this mean that your moves could become even more powerful if you enhance it with your blood?" Vali wondered, curious as his friend.

"Yup. The strongest magical attack that there has ever been, is the Gremory Household's signature 'Power of Destruction'. Put in some blood in that there blast, and it's enough to blow away a quarter of the world," at that, a deep chuckle escaped his throat, much to the younger one's fear.

"Dear, stop scaring everyone…" His wife softly chided, much to his chagrin.

 **"Jeez, you're no fun,"** he pouted, before finally finishing the magic circle. **"Alright-y, here we go. Ehem…"**

He began chanting a string of words, produced in a language foreign to everyone there. All except his own wife and son, who seemed to recognise it well. While it was hard to truly translate it into a suitable language, the most basic of basic translations there were was 'Gehenna Gate'.

*Khh!*

The gate formed a moment later, finally revealed after the blinding light died down. It was the same portal his father and mother appeared through the day they came to start living with him. With all the faces that struggled everywhere in the gap of the portal, it was hard to even consider walking through it.

"So… We're s-supposed to walk through t-t-this..?" Vali asked, sounding reluctant. Who could blame him? It looked like the stuff of nightmares, but worse.

 **"I chose to summon the 'Gehenna Gate', cause' it has a sort of security function,"** he shrugged. **"Where it summons on the other side, if it senses danger there, it would move to another location. Adding my blood to it, and considering that my blood is pretty powerful, it would, instead of moving away, repel any hostile monsters that come closer. It'll only move away in really bad situations."**

"Wow, you really thought things through," Yuri teased, her husband sweat-dropping in response. "Well, kids, make sure you'll be safe, alright?"

"Of course," her son nodded, before tapping softly on his friend's shoulder. "Ready?"

"With you, I am," he nodded, taking slow and soft steps into the portal. Their vision was clouded with black and purple for a moment.

* * *

Forest of Familiars

 ***Final Fantasy XV—Cape Caem (Play Song)***

Nighttime in the Forest of Familiars, and Riven and Vali had finally reached the area through the 'Gehenna Gate' Satan had conjured. The both of them took a look around his surroundings, and they were in awe. The night was dark, sure, but fireflies were buzzing everywhere, their flickering lights brightening the area, and the sky was starry. The floras were lush, green, and displayed life in the form of tantalising fruit and beautiful flowers.

"Wow… I never knew this place could be so…" Vali lost any words after that, settling with looking around after that.

"Incredible? Amazing? Breath-taking?" Riven offered, earning himself a chuckle from the silver-haired boy.

"All three," the other nodded, taking in the air of the area. Cold, fresh, and holding no sign of pollution. "Man, this place could be the the perfect place to grow crops."

"True, but you'd need to consider what sort of plants that would grow well in this sort of surroundings. Considering the humidity, the fertility of the soil, I would go with…" Riven tapped his finger against his chin in thought, until the answer came, as he beamed happily like a glow stick. "Watermelons!"

That brief moment taken to wonder why that sort of fruit of all things, it was hard to even settle with a logical answer.

"W-Why watermelons though?" Vali sweat-dropped, hoping the answer he'd receive would make sense, be easy to understand, and not made-up.

And it was everything he had hoped for.

"Remember Minecraft?" The son of Satan asked, and everything clicked into place.

"Oh yeah…" The young Lucifer nodded slowly, fully deciding that the answer was the best.

Insert: Possible face palms from the readers.

"So… What do we do now?" Vali broke the silence, mind already contemplating on some options.

"We should find a water source. A lake or river will do," the son of Satan was more experienced in these sort of things, so the other child settled with him as the leader of the duo.

It seemed that their task was easier done than said. In fact, it was only a few feet south from where they were, that it was indeed very helpful. There, they settled with pitching a tent and starting a fire. There was no way they could get back that early.

 **"So, what sort of Familiar will you be wanting to get?"** Eve asked from the cross-earring. **"I know some types of Familiars here, so narrow a bit of categories for me."**

"One that could fly! It would be so cool if we could soar through the skies! I'm not a devil, so I don't have wings," he bashfully scratched the back of his head with a chuckle.

"And one that is powerful. If it could fight off wave after wave of enemies, it would be better," Vali offered, his friend nodding in response.

 **"I see… Well, it certainly seems somewhat difficult, so I can suggest some wyverns, griffin, manticores. Then there's also the large eagles, Forneus, the stingray that floats, and even the usual Pegasi,"** while everything she had suggested were very tantalising, only the wyverns stuck with the children.

"Ooh, ooh! I want a dragon! Any dragons that you can think of?" Riven excitedly requested.

 **"Well, there are only two that I can think of. One are Sprite Dragons. Small while they're young, but extremely powerful when they're big. The other is…"** They could hear the way she trailed off, following later with a loud gulp from her. **"Never mind! Never mind! Forget what I just said! It's nothing!"**

"Why? Is it that bad?" Vali asked.

 **"Worse,"** her simple response was enough to set their gears of imagination to work. **"She's a 'Dragon King'. Basically one of the most powerful dragons to have ever existed. Her alias is the 'Karma Chaos Dragon'. She was always considered to be a possible candidate as a Familiar, but just even thinking about it is just begging to die."**

"How strong is she?" Riven dared to speak.

 **"She's on a Satan-level, Riven. You know Ddraig? One of the Heavenly Dragons?"** At her question, both children nodded in response. **"See, Ddraig once took a treasure from her, and he forgot to return it for years. Ever since then, she's grown to hate him immensely, and he fears her."**

"Whoa… To think that a Heavenly Dragon is afraid of her…" The young Lucifer shuddered at the thought, wishing that he didn't have to meet her.

"Maybe we should steer clear of her then," the prince suggested, earning voices of agreement from his friends. "Alright then. In any case, it's still too early to hit the hay. We should get a move-on."

Nodding in response, the trio—Eve, since she's still there—left their campsite, making sure to memorise the area in case they'd need to return to it soon.

 ***Final Fantasy XV—Cape Caem (End Song)***

* * *

Later

*Shnk!*

As Vali stood back to allow Riven to deal with the monsters that arrived from nowhere, he watched as the son of Satan confidently swiped his katana across the vicious beings, casting blue fire to ward away any those that came too close before cutting away at them.

'It's strange,' the white-haired boy noted. 'So when he wields Kurikara, he instantly turns into this sort of form? Hard to understand, but I suppose it works either way.'

Dressed in the same school uniform and wearing the same black mask, Riven spared the monsters the mercy, cutting them down with nary a problem. If life was taken now, it would give back to the earth, which would create more life in the future.

He pivoted over one monster, dealing a stab to its skull and twisting a hurricane of fire over the wave of monsters before him. He intensified the fire for a bit, before letting it loose at the remaining monsters.

Terrified, and knowing that their numbers weren't going to wear him down, the remaining monsters ran away, ironically with their own tails between their legs.

"Well, that was taken care of quite simply," Riven laughed, setting his katana back into its sheathe. Immediately, the uniform swapped back to his previous combat armour. The fires were gone, and so too did his horns and tail.

"S-Sorry I wasn't able to do anything…" Vali apologised, lowering his head with a guilty look.

"Don't worry about it. You'll get stronger in the future, I know it," his confident assurance did much to raise his friend's spirit. "Okay, now where to go next?"

"Umm… You know, I've been curious about it for a while now, and I was hoping that we could check out that cave over there," to get his point across, Vali pointed to the mountainside, where they could see a large, gaping cave on its side.

"Ooh, you're right! It's just begging for us to go to it," the thought was quite welcoming, and both the children soon found themselves standing at the foot of the mountain, which, they hadn't thought it through at all, was way taller than any of them had thought.

Now, the only problem they had to deal with, was how to get to that cave in the beginning, since it was still too high for them to reach.

They had came up with several methods, such as compressing fire under a certain level to create a suitable amount of explosion to propel them up there, which came in the danger of hurting themselves—both knew how much the others fretted over their wounds—and that if they didn't perfect their landing, they'd be falling back down flat without any way to land safely or get back up there.

Then there was how they would try to negotiate with any of the monsters that could help out, which they settled with. But, considering how hostile the monsters were, it seemed that the idea was nothing more than useless. It was even sadder that they'd have to rid the monsters afterwards.

And the last thought was to bait the monster. They got enough meat and was able to cook up a delicious dish—why a dish, they would never know—and it seemed to work. Buuut… They immediately had to finish up the dish the moment they could hear a powerful growl emanating from the cave.

"S-So… We know that whatever's in there is indeed a powerful dragon, judging by the way it sounded like a growl," the options to get up there weren't many, but the wanting to get up there only increased. "Could it be... Never mind. So Vali, any ideas?"

"W-Well…" He looked insecure at first, but spoke his mind in the end. "You know one of the Heavenly Dragons? Albion?"

 **"Indeed. He is the 'White Vanishing Dragon', rival to Ddraig,"** Eve answered in her liege's place. **"And if I'm not wrong, he was sealed in a SacredGear. It was 'Divine Dividing'."**

"We could use that. It takes the forms of wings, after all," it only took a moment for the other two to fully understand what the descendant of Lucifer was pinpointing at.

"Wait, you mean you…" His simple muttering was answered with a nod. "Wow. I'm just… Man, things are definitely going to get harder for you in the future, since you'd have to fight the one who's wielding the 'Boosted Gear' then."

"Yeah, let's not talk about that sort of thing for now. It's frustrating enough to know that I'm going to get a rival to fight," Vali sighed. "Well then, let's get up there now, shan't we?"

Just as he suggested it, he willed his SacredGear to life, as mana suddenly began dancing around him, accompanying the bright light that shone from him. After the luminescence finally died down, Vali stood there, except with beautiful white wings protruding from his back.

"Damn… You look amazing," Riven blinked in awe, his friend blushing by his compliment. "Come on, let's go already!"

"Alright, alright. Get on," the descendant of Lucifer made a gesture to his back, of which his friend instantly climbed onto his back. Piggyback ride, so to speak. "Hold on, this won't be a smooth ride."

Was what he said. But the ride up was really fine. Not too slow, not too fast. And it only took a minute or two to finally reach the entrance, making a good landing without any incidents. So far, so good.

"Okay then. Let there be light," the prince muttered to himself, flicking a simple will-o-wisp in front of him, following it with Vali in tow.

The cave was incredible. Dark, yet it held traces of life there. There were the occasional bats, but with wings of a hawk. The toads there had jaws equivalent to shark's, and the fungi there were like crystals. The ceiling were wet and he could see all sorts of gemstones forming in the sides of the caves; emerald, limestone, ruby, quartz—wait, was that gold?!

Wow, whoever lived in this cave must be filthy rich.

*Roaaaah!*

A loud roar boomed through the entire cave, the slight shockwave causing little pieces of stalagmites to drop to the floor and break. Riven stood his ground, but it was apparent enough that he shook from slight feelings of fear welling up in his gut. Even so, he couldn't back down now.

Wasting not a moment, Riven spawned Ascalon and Gram to his sides, handing the red sword to his friend. Both nodded at each other, before turning to the pitch blackness.

"Show yourself!" Both boys called out, holding their respective blades in front of them.

And their response was quick.

*RRhAaaaA!*

"E-Eeeh!" Out of fear, Vali had accidentally tossed his sword into the air, easily caught by his friend. He hid behind the prince's back, shaking like a leaf as Riven kept his stance ready.

*Thump… Thump… Thump…*

Heavy footsteps. Loud, large, beating like drums. No doubt, whatever was coming at them, was not going to be anything but big. Large. Humongous. Anything else that was synonymous with the words aforementioned.

And sooner or later, Tiamat, one of the Dragon Kings appeared. It was without doubt that she was easily towering over them, forcing them to look up in order to look into her beautiful sapphire eyes. Her fangs showed at the corners of her jaw, and her tongue slithered a moment out of her jaws, trying to get the upper advantage by instilling fear in the little boy before her.

Just as Riven thought.

This was a really bad situation. Were they supposed to fight her?

 **"Speak, brats, lest I behead you right here and now,"** her voice was intimidation itself, and shook the very cave, scaring away all the monsters. **"What is your business here?"**

"W-W-W-We wanted to explore this cave!" Vali answered, shaken to the very core as he hid behind his friend.

 **"And what would you possibly hope to gain from this little expedition of yours?"** She asked, choosing to stay her hand—Er, I mean, claws for the time being.

"My friend doesn't have anything to do with this. I merely asked him to accompany me," the prince finally spoke, wanting to keep his friend safe at the very least. "We came here to find a Familiar for me."

 **"So you came here to find a Familiar. That does make sense…"** She nodded in understanding, until her eyes grew wide with rage, unscathed as she suddenly broke the air with her voice, booming. **"And who gave you permission to be here?!"**

"YHaAHH!" The cowering from the white-haired boy only grew more apparent and stronger, but his friend still stood his ground, despite the fear growing in his heart.

"N-No one. We came here on our own terms," Riven answered, tapping his elbow against his friend and making a gesture at the rock formation behind him. "Go there once I give the signal…"

"N-No…" He understood the message too well.

"Listen to me, Lady Tiamat. I am not coming here just to die an early death," Riven's power began growing, as he allowed his blades to float with help from his fire, as he wielded Kurikara. "We are getting out of here, and if possible, with a Familiar, even if it means I have to cross blades with you."

 **"Hmph. You're an idiot if you think you can truly defeat me,"** Tiamat snorted, sporting a cross look that befitted one such as herself. **"Fine, but don't blame me for what is to come! Show me how much of a fool you are!"**

 **'Riven! You can't be serious! You're facing off against a Dragon King! This isn't like those terrorists or those monsters!'** Eve frantically cried out in her liege's mind.

'I know, this is suicide. But this is the best opportunity to show her that I can indeed become a lord worthy of her,' his words done and said, he unsheathed Kurikara, allowing his father's fire to consume him, before his demonic form kicked in, and his outfit changed. "I am not going to lose to you, no matter what. I'll beat you, and get out of here alive!"

 **"Hah, words from a fool!"** She laughed for a moment, before her teeth bared for the naked eyes to see. **"Come then! Your death wish is already prepared!"**

 ***Bravely Second: End Layer—Battle of Anne 2 (Play Song)***

This was really it. This wasn't going to end well.

"Vali, go!" Riven yelled, prompting his friend to rush off and take cover behind the rock.

The human-demon halfbreed could already see the way that fire began producing at the back of the dragoness's throat, before she spewed it all onto the floor, coating everything with bright red. It smelt like how a fire should; smoky and hot. Immediately, Riven erected a barrier of magic in front of him, stopping the blast from hitting him.

Jumping into the air, he sliced his katana across the air, forming an arc of blue fire that arrowed towards Tiamat. She flapped her wings against the arc, visibly not in pain at all.

'Damn it, I'm gonna' have to target her weak spots, if she even has any…' He added the last part with slight worry. "I can do this…"

 **"As if!"** She roared out, lunging at him.

Riven warped out of the way, casting thunder in his place that only tickled the Dragon King. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he pelted a volley of his father's fire at her, dealing only a simple brushstroke of a damage. She swept her tail at him, sending him crashing towards a stalagmite at the speeds of a bullet train. He recovered quickly, dodging a swing of the tail right after.

Summoning one hundred copies of Ascalon and Gram using his mana, he willed themselves to stab into her, as he watched them sped at her like bullets from a machine gun. The blade-copies exploded into bursts of greens, reds and yellows, and the pain was starting to grow evident.

Not giving her the chance to recover, Riven swiped all blades at her in rapid succession, darting blow after blow at her. They were beginning to nick away at her, slowly damaging her otherwise steel-like scales.

 **"Tch! Annoying,"** while it may have sounded as a simple taunt, it was indeed true. She was starting to get hurt, after all. **"Begone!"**

Following her words, she swiped her large claws at him, of which he was forced to warp away, lest he was struck down from that powerful attack. He followed it up with a large ball of magic, all formed above him as he combined the powers of fire, wind, ice and earth, before launching it at her.

Tiamat drew her wings in front of her, blocking the attack.

Taking this moment as a chance, Riven dove past her, jumping into the air and landing his Kurikara straight into her back.

 **"Ghaah!"** She hissed in pain, sweeping away the powerful ball and swapping her attention towards the boy. **"You're such a pest, you know that?! You come all of a sudden, and here you are, daring to attack me for no reason whatsoever! You truly wish to die that much?!"**

"You already know why I'm doing this in the first place. I'm a fool," his answer held much amusement, much to her surprise. "And yet, it's better than nothing. Don't expect for me to hold back."

 **"What are you—"** Her words didn't come out, as he merely jumped off of her, leaving behind an explosion in his absence. **"Gragh! For God's sake, stop moving and let me kill you!"**

"Yeesh, she really has some anger issues…" Riven sweat-dropped.

He summoned Eve from behind him, commanding her to breathe fire. She heeded his commands, letting her own breath to scorn the dragoness. She mentally apologized for doing this, but she promised herself that she would fight for her liege, and for her partner.

With Eve returning back into his SacredGear, he concocted a dozen fireballs, launching them at her to distract her from his ultimate plan that he had just concocted in his mind.

 **'What are you planning to do?'** Eve asked in his mind.

'Something that will turn the tides in our favor, and possibly defeat her, once and for all,' he answered, surprising himself when his words were actually cryptic. His father's behaviour was starting to rub off on him.

 **"Damn it! I'm not going to let you beat me, just so you're happy with it all!"** She snarled, breathing fire towards the child, watching as he blocked the flames with a barrier, before she lunged at him, tearing him with her claws.

"Ghugh..!" He gritted his teeth in pain, jumping away as he brought his katana in front of him. It was strange that his transformation disabled any physical changes, but he didn't ponder on it too long, as he dodged another slash from her, followed up with her fire.

He spawned mana, shaping them into spears and halberdiers, before lunging them at the dragoness. He warped into the air a moment later, directing his finger in her direction and spurning a powerful blast of his father's fire at her. The hissing that came afterwards was not just from the attack, but from Tiamat herself as well.

He avoided a fireball from her, warping back to the ground and burying Kurikara into the earth, causing the earth before him to form into towers that slammed against her. He jumped back, ready to pull forth his ultimate plan.

Sporting a cross between determination and madness, Riven tore apart the skin of his thumb with his incisor, outstretching his hand in front of him.

"I am thou, thou art I! I command thou to adjunct to my justice and retribution upon my enemy, as thy own's heart wishes for it to be!" He began, spawning Eve, as she stood, towering above him, black and dark. "I, son of Satan, decides the heroes and gods!"

*KHHH!*

His words were that of a commandment, and a magic circle spurned itself directly in front of him, pulsating brightly as the mana from his body cackled proudly on its edges and designs. It was large, and had a sigil unbeknownst to even him.

The sigil was that of a dragon's wings, outstretched without any body, only parallel to itself on the circle. It was black on one part, and white on the other wing. It was like some sort of butter, except there was no head or body. Just the wings.

"Eve!" His voice called out to his partner, who spawned out of his SacredGear. "Breathe through the magic circle!"

 **"Your wish is my command, milord!"** She nodded, accumulating all her fires into her throat, setting her maws open, giving everyone the view of her fire growing.

 **"I'm not about to let you win!"** Tiamat roared, breaking the towers of rock with her bare claws. **"You're the one that's about to go down!"**

With her words said, she mirrored the other dragoness's movements, building up her own fire attack. The heat of the battle was almost reaching the climax, and she was intent on winning this.

"Alright, Eve! Let's show her what we got!" Riven yelled at the top of his lungs, pointing at the Dragon King before him. "Ravage her!"

 **"In your dreams!"** Tiamat growled back.

And at one single instance, both Eve and Tiamat let loose their attacks, causing a conflict so tremendous, so powerful, that the walls and ground shook, as if they were willed to fear them. The power was enough to illuminate the cave to an almost blinding manner, forcing everything and Vali to shield their eyes from the battle scene.

But then, there was a victor. The massive explosion that came afterwards meant that the victor had been decided.

 ***Bravely Second: End Layer—Battle of Anne 2 (End Song)***

When the light finally died down, and the collected dust gave way, Vali could see how both fighters were. And 'bad' was just an understatement.

Riven had ceased his SacredGear transformation, now holding himself up with the help of Kurikara. His armour was all torn and broken, leaving only enough to cover himself. His left leg was hissing from the powerful burn it received, leaving a red sore spot there. The black welling on his right arm proved that her attack was not one to jest about either. He was gritting his teeth in pain, trying so hard not to pass out from the pain too early.

Tiamat was in a situation similar to the human-demon halfbreed. Her body was burnt terribly, and some of her once-were beautiful blue scales of hers had now been turned black and dark red. Blood dripped from some of the cuts she received on her body, wetting the cave's grounds with crimson 'paint'. Cuts and burns, but the most painful wound she had now, was her pride.

She may had not been defeated. But it felt like a defeat. And at the hands of a _child_ , no less.

"R-Riven!" Vali rushed forwards, catching his friend before he had the chance to fall down. "Y-You really took a heavy blow…"

"Y-Yeah… But I'm fine…" He chuckled, holding back the blood from leaving his throat. He swallowed it, despite it tasting bad. "Okay, maybe I'm not fine, but you get the gist…"

"Yeah, add that after you hiss in pain. Smart move," the young Lucifer rolled his eyes, earning himself another chuckle from his friend.

The simple moment was broken, a moment later, not by another attack from the dragoness, or from the rumblings of the cave, but instead…

 **"Hahahahaha!"** The Dragon King was suddenly laughing, leaving the two children and the other dragoness in the room—I mean cave—all confused and distressed. **"Wow, that was, hahaha! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I mean, that was just, damn it, I was impressed!"**

"P-Pardon?" Riven blinked in disbelief, feeling that his ears may have tricked him earlier.

 **"I'm not kidding, child. I was thoroughly impressed. You really put up a good fight back there. Well done,"** she allowed herself to grin happily, not even masking it with some form of false flattery. There was a massive trace of pride in her words.

"W-Well, I wouldn't say I was _that_ amazing…" The child blushed from her compliments, not taking it seriously.

"Riven, be real here. You just fought a Dragon King, and _survived_. If that's not amazing, I'd call that stellar," Vali spoke in a deadpan tone, earning himself a nod from the Dragon King.

 **"Indeed. It's not always that you find someone as strong as you, yet so young too. You're one in a million, that's for sure,"** she giggled, stepping forwards with a sly look. **"That's why I was thinking of becoming your Familiar."**

"Oh, of course. I can give you my contact information, and—" Riven's words suddenly ceased, replaced later with a loud 'Ehh?!' from both the children once the words clicked in. "Wait, what?!"

 **"Like I said, I want to be your Familiar. Not a bad offer, eh?"** She beamed at the two boys, relishing in their looks of disbelief.

 **"N-No way… Lady Tiamat, becoming your Familiar..? This feels like a dream…"** Eve trailed off, possibly shocked even more than the other two, considering that her syllables sounded like a broken machine's.

 **"It's not a dream. I really do want to serve you,"** her tone was now genuine, softer even. **"So will you allow me?"**

"I-I…" Riven blinked his twentieth time already, still at a lost. "Are you sure? I don't want to force you or anything. This is your life to consider."

 **"Aww, how sweet! Thinking of me before yourself, aren't you? Now you're just making me blush~!"** She giggled at the stupidity presented before her. This powerful, yet cute stupidity. **"Come, let's make do with the contract now, shall we?"**

"I-If you say so…" He nodded dumbly, still trying to get a grasp on the current situation. "I mean, this is way too weird, I can't believe it… My Familiar is one of the Dragon Kings. And a pretty one at that."

At his last statement, he placed his finger on his lips, beginning to ponder on how things turned out to be this way. Tiamat, however, was blushing hard from the sudden praise. Pretty? Even Ddraig never called her that! She giggled, pulling him from his thoughts as he tilted his head at her.

"What? What did I say?" He asked, lost.

 **"Nothing, nothing… W-Well then Riven, do you accept?"** The poor dragonness was still blushing, her otherwise sea-blue face tinted pink. Riven noticed it, but chose not to say anything, instead nodding in response. **"Very well, then."**

Just as quick as the boy replied, the Dragon King raised herself to her full height. When Riven was about to question her for her actions, a bright pale blue light engulfed her body, forcing the young prince to shield his eyes from the blinding luminance. And what happened next set his mouth agape.

Walking out of the light was a beautiful young woman who seemed to be around the age of 20. She had pale blue hair that fell down all the way below her knees, and her ears were point-tipped, signifying that she was a dragon. She wore a necklace around her neck, which had a green sapphire in it, resting on top of her ambling bust. The sapphire glowed a light the same colour of the dragoness' deep blue eyes, shimmering as it threatened to pull any eyes that dare look at it into a dream.

With Riven and Vali all lost in their minds as they stared at the dragoness's beauty, only did they snap from their daze when they noticed her walking towards the prince, her feet making no sound despite making contact with the ground.

"So, let's get this pact-making business over with, hmm?" She asked with a slight hum at the end of her sentence, a little hint of excitement present in her voice.

"Whoa, Riven… It's really going to happen…" Vali spoke, breathless. His friend nodded back, still keeping his eyes on his soon-to-be Familiar.

"Put yourself in my shoes, and you'd be overwhelmed beyond words," Riven told his friend, the latter nodding back, dumbly.

"Alright then. Now, give me your hands," he followed her words. "So, do you know the words to form the contract?"

"No," the boy answered, throwing out all the tension and excitement out the window. "But I can make up my own. It should be good enough. I think…"

"Alright then, lead the way," her tone gentle, she hadn't expected it to become different a moment later.

 ***Bravely Default—Silence of the Forest (Play Song)***

It felt weak at first, but she could feel the blue fires from before beginning to grow stronger, yet soft, around them. It started as wild, slowly shaping themselves into will-o-wisps around them, dancing to illuminate the area. It was strangely pleasant, cold even. Not like the powerful heat she experienced from him when she challenged him to a fight.

"Vow to me. Does thou wishes to be chained to my own will, to fulfil thy own justice and retribution? Will thou forfeit thy own life to me, as thy new lord?" Once a simple child who held little insecurities, now he sounded like a prince, proud and regal. His aura that was being given off made him ever more dignified, as if the world recognized him as a royalty.

"Y-Yes. I do," she nodded, blushing from how he sounded so commanding. So _strong_ …

"Very well then. I am thou, thou art I. I, Riven Hirokami, hereby claim the dragon, Tiamat the Chaos Karma Dragon as my Familiar. Thou shall accept me as thy own liege, and exact thy own justice and retribution to your will!" The prince spoke, calm yet royal, and immediately a magic circle with the same sigil as before appeared underneath them. The light from the circle engulfed both of them before dying down later.

"Well, it's official. Milord, I am from now on your dragon, till' death do us apart," Tiamat nodded with a smile, with Riven and Vali returning her gesture with their own.

Now that the prince and his friend had done what he came to do, they left the Forest of Familiars. They flew back, of course, and were met with all sorts of responses, which all held one simple similarity.

Everyone could only stand there in shock, discovering that their little prince had just made Tiamat his new Familiar.

But to her—she couldn't help but feel her face bloom at the thought—she was much more accepting of the thought of him claiming her.

 ***Bravely Default—Silence of the Forest (End Song)***


	9. Chapter 8

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

 _"For him, it was easy."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!* - Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 8: Beginnings of a Departure=-

 **"Warning! Warning! Warning!"**

"Dear me… #$ ^$va36, are you alright? You've just started the chapter with three repetitions of the word 'Warning', completed with its own exclamation mark. Pray tell, what is bothering you to this amount?"

 **"A-Ah, forgive me… It's just, while you were sleeping the night before, possibly enjoying whatever dreams you were, then I'd like to know first well what you were dreaming of."**

"I'm not so sure myself, to be honest. Dreams are two doors to a world randomised by your heart and mind. You are unable to truly narrow it to one specific category, as many things could occur. With it, it brings motivation and drive to people to do things."

 **"I can agree with you on that. Maybe they haven't had dreams, but the man who invented the first lightbulb, the man who devised perfectly fried chicken, and the one who introduced the world of gravity. Possibly, they could have had dreams that led them down their paths."**

"Except the last one, I think. Remember, the apple dropped on his head."

 **"Right."**

"In any case, I suppose that what I had been dreaming the night prior… I was in a city. London, perhaps. And it was during the times when syndicates still existed. There was Queen Victoria, and… Hmm, did she live during that time period?"

 **"Don't forget, friend. A dream never follows the rules. It constantly bends it to its desires. That is why you must be thinking of this."**

"It could be possible. Well, in any case, I was merely part of the crowd, watching as Queen Victoria grace the public with her appearance. Lovely gown, I saw, and it could have been around thirty million pound. And then… An assassin in brown drabs and a fancy cap came out of nowhere, and started slaying men all around us. Thankfully, he wasn't targeting the public."

 **"Such a bizarre dream"**

"Without doubt. And when I woke up, I had forgotten half of the story. But let's put that aside, what was it that you wanted to tell me, and possibly the readers, about?"

 **"R-Right. You see…"**

"…"

 **"..."**

"…You're not kidding, are you?"

 **"This is straight from our writer's lips, my good friend. Sin me if I were lying, but this is what our writer wishes it to be. And considering that this chapter conveys our protagonist's leaving, so he thinks this is the best opportunity for that."**

"Dear me… And to think that he had the young lady bide her time all the way from chapter 4 and 5. The volume she read. This will be the point where it spurs her on, wouldn't it?"

 **"Indeed. And he wishes it to be. It may be wrong, but he wants it be done. There is no stopping him after all."**

"I suppose that can be called bravery. Foolish, maybe, but brave through and through. He would risk the flames of comments by the masses, all to satisfy himself and possibly others. Such strange creatures, humans are."

 **"Well, it's because of his bravery that he has even started this story in the first place. Consider this, many people could have ended up as becoming writers, or poets, or novelists. Yet, because of their fear of what the people would think of their writing, they would choose to back down, ultimately taking the path of another career."**

"Aah, pity. Though, I suppose we shouldn't blame them. If they became doctors, engineers, carpenters, accountants, bankers, firefighters, policemen and so on, then we should be thanking them, for making this world a better place."

 **"Only if they're doing it to help, of course. If they were doing it just for the sake of it, could you still come to respect them?"**

"If they remain to do their work? And if their work saves lives and helps the society? And if this leads to a better world? I wouldn't mind them being selfish at all then."

* * *

3 Years Ago

"And by what do you mean that you plan to leave?" He could hear them. They were arguing. Riven was mostly afraid by Grayfia. She sounded so desperate, so different. It scared him.

 **"It's as I said. I just want to take him to Assiah. Let him grow there,"** Satan reasoned with his grey-haired daughter, a rare expression of seriousness on his face. It was times like these, when he made a face like that, were things really serious.

"But why? Why now?" Sirzechs's voice was next, hinted with sorrow.

 **"I wanted to bring him to the human realm for a long time now, but I couldn't do it. I wanted him to grow up with his family around him, to make up for my past mistakes…"** He clicked his tongue in mild anger, directed at himself. "But he's a teenager now, officially. I want to let him grow up there. I promise you, he'll be fine—"

*Smack!*

All hearts suddenly stopped beating from the powerful slam, later indicated that it was Grayfia herself, who had banged the table beside her with her fist.

"Don't even think about it… You may be his father, but I will not allow you to take him away from here," she spoke with an unruly tone of fear, dreaded that she wouldn't be able to be with her brother no more.

 **"It's not that you won't be able to see him anymore. It's just that he'll be living there, with me and Yuri. What's hard to understand?"** The wolf groaned, somewhat tired of this discussion.

"Do you even know what he's suffered?" At her question, the burning wolf glared back at her, with the maid matching his own. "Do you think you know what he's gone through? You weren't there for him when he came here. Azazel found him, battered and almost dead, yet you came, one day all of a sudden, and said that you'd be living with us! You don't know anything!"

 **"WHAT THE F**K?!"** His loud curse—the first ever Riven or anyone else had heard—was enough to silent the maid's constant rambling, leaving a dreaded silence in its wake. **"You think I just left him alone because I wanted to?! Damn it, that's not what I wanted!"**

"S-Satan… Calm down…" Yuri cooed, but her husband was absolutely pissed off right now to hear her.

 **"The Great War! I didn't want to side myself with either groups, yet they always find a way to ruin our lives!"** He snarled, not even holding himself back anymore. Gone was the calm and casual father, now a merciless demon. **"I wanted my son to be safe, so I had to send him to Assiah! Do you know how hard it was?! To say goodbye to a babe that couldn't even speak yet?! To leave a child that was destines for greatness?! To… To leave my _son_! I f**king loved him, you b*tch, but your Goddamned war made it hard for us to live together! I wanted to be there for him! To watch him grow and play! And it's all YOUR FAULT!"**

Now done with his string of curses and anger, he panted from the exhaustion, his peripherals giving him the view of a shocked maid and Devil Maou, as well as his wife, who had even taken steps away from him.

 **"…I'm sorry for calling you a b*tch,"** he apologised, before walking away, leaving three people stunned, in a room that was devoid of sound.

Riven hastily returned to bed.

* * *

Flashback—A Year Ago

 _ **"So you're saying that you… want to return to Assiah?"** Satan asked, somewhat surprised._

 _He was busy watching the television earlier, until his son had came to him, begging for a talk between just the two of them. As such, he saw it fit to take him to some forsaken mountain so to have this secretive conversation._

 _ **"My… My life there wasn't well. It was bad. I lived in an orphanage, and I was raised around a bunch of bullies,"** he recounted, not able to handle his father's intensive stare. **"But… I want to go back there."**_

 _ **"And why?"** The Demon asked once more, still not understanding his son. **"The people there abused you, humiliated you. Where you had done nothing wrong to them, they had balled their fists and smacked you, and for what? Pleasure? Satisfaction? What makes you want to return back to that world, filled to the brim with vicious people like them?"**_

 _His father's question was pretty hard to answer. Not only would he have to make it sound pretty convincing, it'd have to be the honesty from his heart. He wouldn't want to lie to his father now._

 _"I… want to life my life. My human life," the child smiled at his father, whose eyebrow raised, his curiosity piqued. "All this time, when I came here, these years… I have been living as a Demon, as the son of Satan. Of course, I don't mind. But now, I want to know what it would be like, to live as what my mother is. As a human."_

 _His mind instantly took a turn to a memory, one that he was fond of._

 _"I had a friend in the orphanage. She was a girl. Irina, a priestess," he began, smiling in longing. "She was always the one that took care of me. Always bringing me food and clothes, even when the adults forbade her to do so. And when I left, well… I always wanted to meet her again. To be her friend once more. And to do that, I'd probably have to accept my human blood."_

 _A single tear escaped him, but he was quick to brush it away._

 _"And being here, I know then that all I've done is fight. I've used your fire, Kurikara, Ascalon and Gram, to keep myself and everyone else alive," his words came easily now, no longer holding traces of hesitation as it once had. "But being in Assiah, I want to know what it would be like, not to fight. Instead, to study, to make friends, and maybe…"_

 _He averted his gaze from his father, but the wolf didn't miss the way his son's skin turned red._

 _"…Fall in love…" His last words instantly set his father's world for a spin._

 _His son wanted to fall in love. This was big! He never talked about such things!_

 _ **'My son is growing so fast..!'** The wolf mentally cried tears of pride and joy, before returning to reality. **"So let me get this straight. You want to return to Assiah, to know what it's like to live as a normal person? Is that it?"**_

 _"Yes, Father. But if you object to my request, I wouldn't mind it at all. I won't hold anything against you as well," Riven promised, the sweet smile he had on his face enough to thaw his father's heart once more._

 _ **"Well… Alright, I accept your decision,"** at his words, his son instantly glowed to life. **"But get this. I won't be mentioning your name when I talk to your siblings about this, alright?"**_

 _"To be honest, I was hoping you wouldn't have to…" The child nervously chuckled, joining in his father's laughter with his own as they watched the setting sun._

* * *

'Am I doing the right thing?' He thought, somewhat afraid. 'What if… my family collapses because of my decision?'

 **'I have high doubts that that wouldn't happen,'** Eve talked to him, surprising the child. **'Think of how hard Grayfia and Sirzechs argued with your father, your sister especially, just so you wouldn't leave. They really love you, Riven. Don't worry, there won't be anything that'll change.'**

'You sure about this?' It wasn't that he didn't trust the dragoness, that much was true. He just wanted true conformation, so to put his heart at ease.

 **'Trust me. Everyone will still love you as always, as they would each other. That much is certain,** ' she hummed in certainty, and he couldn't help but believe in her.

'Thanks, Eve. I wouldn't know what to do if you weren't around…' He happily sighed in his mind, before his eyes fluttered shut, sleep overtaking him not even a minute later.

* * *

The Next Day

"S-So Riven is leaving soon?" Rias could hardly believe what she was hearing.

Just the day prior, she had been woken up by such a heated argument. Taking a sneak peek, she found Satan angrily yelling at Grayfia, whilst Sirzechs and Yuri decided to hang away. She was utterly shocked at her demonic father's strange behaviour, and chose to let it slide. Now, hearing the truth behind their argument, she felt her heart stop.

"It seems so…" Venelana nodded, a sad smile on her face. "I wish that it could've been longer… Oh well, there's nothing that we can do."

"B-But it's not fair! His father is making him do this!" She cried out, not truly realizing the true picture. "He's doing this without Riven's consent! It's not fair!"

"I know it's not fair, but… We should at least pray for his safety," her mother was strangely calm about all of this, but she could tell that she was in a pretty poor mood as well.

It was an uneventful day, by the by. It seemed that Riven was still unaware—or so as everyone thought—of his father's wish, which only intensified their disappointment with the Demon. How could he do this?!

Satan, however, had long known that this was the sort of reaction he would have gotten. Had he actually mentioned that this was actually his son's wish, then maybe things would have been slightly different.

He had been wondering about it for a while now, why he too didn't want to tell them about this all being Riven's wish. It was probably to keep him from getting the blame, though he highly doubted it would be so. Instead, he was more willing to take the blame for himself, so to keep his son away from the pitiful looks.

 **'Damn, I really dug a grave for myself…'** He sighed, smiling softly when he caught glimpse of Riven checking Euclid in a game of chess, much to the latter's disbelief. **'God damn it, how good is the kid..?'**

"Satan," the wolf broke out of his thoughts when his wife called him. "Are you really willing to take Riven back to Assiah? It's not that easy there."

 **"Look, Yuri. I really want this kid to go through with this, alright? I want to, at the very least, show him what sort of a good life he could have there. I want him to make good memories there, not only have bad ones of his past life,"** he explained, the grim expression still palpable for the usually joyful wolf.

"I don't know… You know how Stray Devils have started popping around in Assiah. Will it still be safe there?" She asked, somewhat uncertain.

 **"Nah, kid should be fine by then. I mean, come on! He defeated _Tiamat_ , of all people!"** He laughed, sounding confident. " **Have some—No, _a lot_ of faith in our son. He's smart, kind, strong, though obviously lesser than me—"**

"Which is an obvious lie," Yuri's jesting remark set his spirits down.

 **"God damn it… Whatever, he'll do fine! You'll see,"** he grinned, watching his son, yet again, defeat the grey-haired devil in a game of checkers this time. **"Ah, shoot. I bet Sona will rip her hair off if she even tries to play against Riven."**

"That will definitely be a sight to see," his wife giggled, one he was more than willing to join in.

* * *

Evening

*Bzzz!*

The pulse of thunder that struck the battlefield lasted as long at its caster willed it to be, before it finally faded away, leaving only sparks in the air.

Riven swept away the sweat from his eyebrow with the sleeve of his training gear, smiling happily at his efforts.

After lunch, prepared by himself once again, he decided to train his magical prowess, with Tiamat voluntarily acting as his mentor. Truth be told, she was quite surprised at how strong he was. Not only did he managed to complete the task she had given him, which was to use his magic to destroy an unbreakable boulder she brought from her mountain home, he absolutely defeated Azazel just earlier.

Now, however, he was just testing the limits of his magic, and it was easy to say it was possibly endless.

"So, Tiamat, what else should I do?" The boy asked, stretching himself to ease some sore muscles.

"Well, I've noticed that you've been using black magic this whole time. Maybe you could try wielding white magic?" At her suggestion, the boy suddenly entered a state of thinking.

"Hmm… You're right. All I've been doing is using black magic. Alright, let's do it!" He nodded with full enthusiasm. "So, what sort of white magic could I try?"

"Well, white magic is basically the opposite of black magic, right? So, if black magic is focused on damaging the opponent, white magic is basically focused on supporting allies by healing them or boosting them, or inflicting enemies with status ailments. It's pretty much a necessity for any healer or saboteur," she hummed at the end of her sentence, with Riven trying to understand what she meant.

"Okay, I can see what you mean," he nodded slowly, before raising his head to look at her. "So, are there any types of magic that I can try?"

"How about we practice with healing? It's the basic magic for white magic," she suggested. "So, focus yourself on healing a target instead of injuring them. When you get that in your mind, just let it out."

Nodding at her instructions, he outstretched his arms in Tiamat's direction, closing his eyes to sharpen his focus. Slowly, he could feel a tingly sensation running around his body, which meant that his mana was beginning to move. It didn't take long for them to accumulate at the palm of his hands, shaping themselves into a ball of light.

'Impressive… It should at least take weeks, even months to fully master how to get the mana running, and even more to actually use the magic,' she thought, amused. 'And he's doing it on the very first day. You really are amazing, milord!'

Breathing in and out, he willed his mana to give life, to heal. Acting to his wishes, the mana turned snowy white, before shooting forwards, brushing against Tiamat and giving off the effects he wanted.

"That was… not bad. You actually did it on your first try," she smiled in delight, impressed more so. "So do you want to try the saboteur's type of magic?"

"Yeah, I'm good for it," he nodded, more enthusiastic than before.

"Alright. Now remember, saboteur's magic is different than both black magic and white magic. It's considered both, to be honest. It damages, but also holds an effect, say to weaken the target's attack output," her words weren't hard to understand for the child. "So, think of an effect that you want to have on me. Don't worry, I can handle it."

"I-If you say so…" He really didn't like hurting his friends, but if they were fine with it, he supposed he might as well get it over with.

Repeating the same steps as before, he focused on the mana that danced to his palms. His mind whispered to weaken, to enervate, and the magic finally took form. With a huff, he sent the magic flying forwards, striking Tiamat and bursting into… fog?

"Well, that's definitely a strange effect," she noted. "Alright, Riven, let's see what effect your magic did on me."

Just as she said that, he braced himself, casting a barrier of mana over him in case what she was about to do was deadly. She readied herself, outstretching her hand, and…

Huh? Strange? Every time she were to use magic, a magic circle would form. Was she… No way. It should function as normal.

And that's when it hit her.

"Wait a minute… Did you just disable my magic?" The realisation that dawned upon her was greater than any scientific discovery, it brought her to a fit of titters. "Amazing! I didn't know that you could that!"

"O-Oh. Umm… Whoops..?" He imitated a guilty, yet flustered reaction, not really knowing how to react to her words.

"Don't be! This is amazing, Riven! This could change the flow of battle just as easy!" She laughed. And what she said was true. Battle consisted of the physical and magical. If this spell of his could disable mages' uses of their magic, then it could as well be an instant-win.

But that was for another day.

"In any case, I think you've got it all down now. Well done, Riven. You've really outdone yourself," his Familiar praised, with him accepting it with a blush.

"Y-Yeah, of course," he smiled, returning into the house with the dragoness afterwards.

* * *

That Night

"Maybe… I could do it now?" Rias, alone in her room, mumbled to herself, keeping an eye on the book on her desk.

The book entitled Succubi Volume 1: Lovemaking for a She-Devil was still there, still as it waited for anyone to pry its pages open. Red covers, slightly dusty from constantly being hidden under her bed, and some pages wrinkly from her being too quick as she flipped it here and there.

The years she had spent reading that book, there had been so many things she had learned. And now, being fourteen, was it wrong for her to want to satisfy her urges? To extinguish this need she had in her? Surely, there weren't anything wrong with this at all.

If only it were that easy.

'He's my brother,' she reminded herself, a part of her heart growing guilty.

Incest was a subject not often taken lightly. When one mentioned the very thing, some may take it as just another topic, but others may take it too seriously. It was a heavy matter, and it didn't necessarily only affect devils. In fact, it branched out to all the other races as well, such as humans, Olympians, fallen, etcetera.

And yet, she could always put the blame on the people who quote 'love shouldn't have rules'. It meant everything; to accept someone of a different race, to accept them despite the age, and it even once talked about the same gender. Surely, no one would—

"No, they would…" She sighed, feeling fed up with all her inner turmoils. "What would they say about us then?"

She worried that deciding to love his brother would cause the shaming of her household's name. Dear Maou, she didn't want that at all! She couldn't dare to do it! She didn't want to soil the name of her father, her mother, her brother… Was there no way that she could do this without any risks?

"Haah… As if. Everything has its ups and downs," she muttered to herself, weighing the options here.

If she truly went with this, it would give her the chance to truly fall in love with someone she really wanted to—her love for him had blossomed even faster than she had thought herself capable of. And with it, she would have a happy future for herself.

But the downside of it all was that she would risk shaming her family's household. What would the public say? 'The heiress of the Gremory household dares be besotted with her own brother'? It scared her. She wouldn't dare to walk in the public then!

"And would Riven be alright with this all..?" She almost forgot about him, the one that she wanted to love.

Riven was someone who loved his family very much, and was very clingy to them. If none would have realized, his bonds with his family were the strongest, so were it with his friends, as they would count among his circle of loved ones. So, say she were to love him, would things between them change?

She loved the relationship they had now. If they became lovers, great! It only meant that he would accept her into his life as someone beyond just a sister. But what if he denied her?

She was scared of him becoming disgusted with her, for ever coming to love him. They weren't true siblings, but the fact that they became family, and grew as siblings over the years blurred the chances of sexual love. She may want him, but would he accept her?

"Nggh… This is difficult…" She pouted, staring up at the ceiling. "What should I do..?"

She thought hard on it, until her mind rewound to a time before, when she had a conversation with Riven. She had asked him, that if she were to be forced to marry some stranger she had no love for, and that she wanted to be with someone else, then what were she to do?

His response was what kept her going until this day.

 _'It wouldn't be fair if you were to lie to yourself then. You'd only hurt yourself, which, in turn, would lead to an unhappy family. No one would be happy, including you. So… I think you should never lie to your heart, and take the hand of the one true man that you really want.'_

"Riven…" He may not have known that the person she wanted to be with was him himself, but she cared not.

She wanted him. She _needed_ him. And if he were to leave, then at the very least, she'd want him to have a clear memory of them together, of when they could truly be known as not siblings, not a brother and sister, but as lovers.

Spurred on by motivation, she left her room, ready to make this night a night to remember—both for him and her.

* * *

Later—Riven's Bathroom

"Whoo, some training that was," Riven happily hummed to himself, his earring still clipped to his earlobe.

Due to it being a SacredGear, which meant that it was connected to his soul, there were no physical ways for him to truly remove it. Even if he were to try and pry it off, the only thing that would be left is a painful and sore ear.

With time of training and fighting using his Kurikara, he learnt sooner or later that the katana his father had gifted to him was directly linked to his SacredGear, so too were Ascalon and Gram. Kurikara was the trigger button, requiring him to unsheathe it if he wanted to activate his SacredGear. The other swords were only necessary for added arsenal, which was nice.

'Strange, but cool,' he thought with a grin, happily scrubbing the soap from his body. 'Thought it does seem a bit risky... Ah well.'

So he would be leaving the Underworld soon. Pity. Today was a Saturday. He'd be leaving tomorrow, apparently. It was a change of schedule, one that was hastily made by his father, much to everyone else's chagrin.

All of which was later extinguished after learning the true reason why he sped up their departure, due to it being that Japan would be having a torrential rain later this Tuesday, and it would last for quite some time, presumably until next Monday, which was really long. No way could they wait that long, so things quickened up a bit.

And after all that training earlier, he had felt somewhat icky and—as he puts it—gross, so he knew he wasn't going to get out of his bathroom that quick. He likes to take his time, after all.

*Creak…*

"E-Excuse me…" No way, that voice..!

His head snapped just as quick towards the source of the voice, and he was met with a view of his older sister, Rias, only covered with a towel. Her porcelain-like skin bare for him only, as she stood close to the door, flush on her face matching her hair.

"R-Rias-nii…" He spoke her name without a breath, only for him to turn away, face burning up quicker than a kettle. "W-W-What are you doing here?"

"I… came here to wash you," she half-lied, deciding to play it safe for now.

From the book she had read, one of the most basic tricks was to make sure that the tension wasn't there. Everything had to be calm before they'd truly go in for the kill.

…Well, she's not actually going to kill him. You get the gist.

"Y-You sure? I can do it myself. I don't want to bother you or anything," he offered, not even turning to look her in the eyes.

"No, it's alright. Come on, give me the soap. I'll start with your hair," she asked, with the boy hesitantly passing her a bottle of soap. "Oh wait, hang on. Let me take a shower here first."

He didn't have a moment to even deny her of her shower, as she had instantly stepped into his showering area, later on followed with the sound of the shower head shooting water on her pretty hair. He had to refrain himself from staring at her, lest he get lost in the beautiful visage before her.

He couldn't lie, she was beautiful. She was her sister, and with his upbringing, he had never had dirty thoughts. She was pretty, and held a beauty that differed from any of the other girls'. Serafall had her own innocent prettiness, Grayfia poise and elegant, Tiamat with her empress-like aura, Gabriel gifted with beauty of a Seraph, and Kuroka with her sly, tantalising serenity.

Of course, his mothers were beautiful too. He could never say that they weren't.

But Rias, she was adorably beautiful. Innocent—for now—and always wanting to better herself, it was something that just made her attractive. She wasn't someone who cared so much about the measly details, but only accepted those with a big heart. He was proud to call her his sister.

'This is really happening…' The redhead thought to herself, blushing vividly as she let the water flow freely all over her body.

The boy was surprisingly well-built. Not a lot of muscles, but enough to define himself. He wasn't like those bodybuilders that looked as if they had been injected excess testosterones. He was handsome, kind, and all in all, perfect. There was no way anyone could beat him in both character and looks.

Inwardly sighing, trying so hard to calm her ever-beating heart—it failed, as it only increased in intensity—she stepped out of the shower area, wrapping the towel over her bosoms down to her knees. Thank Maou that Grayfia always gives her large towels.

"Alright, let's get started," she huffed, silently, before pouring soap into her hands and beginning her work.

Patience, she told herself. For now, she settled with what she told him, scrubbing his somewhat longer-than-usual hair. The black and slit of whites had now reached past his shoulder, yet it still kept a regal look. She could understand why Grayfia always loved to play with his hair now; it was just so silky and smooth, it was like playing her fingers through the strings from a cloth.

She was so lost in playing with his hair, she only realised that she had other things to do when she heard the yawn leaving his lips.

"S-Sorry. Your hair was really nice," she made an excuse, one of which she was thankful that he accepted.

"Yeah, it's alright. Our mothers and Grayfia said the same thing," he tittered, enjoying her soft touches. "Maybe it's because father's a wolf? And since he… made me in that form, biologically, my DNA takes some from a wolf as well?"

"That… would be weird. You'd better not start growing a bushy tail and all!" His sister laughed at the thought. It would have been nice, though.

"Yeah, I promise," he nodded, simply content with this.

She was like an expert groomer, playing her magic with nothing more than her hands—don't take this the wrong way, readers. She was amazing, to be honest, and he would've loved nothing more than have her continue.

Which, to be honest, would be pretty scary. One, the scalps on his head would probably die from all the acidity of the soap, something he wasn't willing to have. And two…

'Grayfia…' He shuddered at the thought of her finding out that he gave someone else the chance to wash him.

For now, he decided that this was enough. Unnecessary fear can be kept away for now.

But as he decided that it was alright, for now, to toss aside his thoughts in favour of savouring this peaceful moment shared between him and his sister alone, his sister had ultimately decided that her biding was no longer needed.

'Alright, it's time…' She mentally told herself, deciding to take the next step. "Neh, Riven. Could I maybe… do your body next?"

"Oh," he finally woke from his little thoughts, barely acknowledging her request before his answer left his lips, as if it were set to automatic. "S-Sure."

It only took that single moment of an answer to spur her onwards. Before even her herself realised what was going on, her hands were already moving on their own will, spreading the soap onto his torso and back.

'I-I'm really doing it..!' She felt light-headed, but steeled herself not to pass out. This was her moment! Her chance! Not the time to black out or the like! "F-Feeling nice so far?"

"Yeah," gone was the hesitation before, she noticed, as his words came out more easier and quicker than before. The calm look he had only strengthened her convictions. Her plan was going smoothly so far.

Time to place in the trap.

"Neh, Riven," her brother looked past his shoulder to look at her face. "Do you… know what feeling good is like?"

"Of course," he nodded, responded with wide eyes. "It's when you do something good or that feels like an accomplishment, your brain releases neurochemicals such as Dopamines, which is when you feel that you have fulfil an accomplishment. The higher number of Dopamines in the mind make us happier, so yeah!"

...

Rias did not understand what her little brother said. Perhaps he was hanging around his Father way too much.

Riven didn't understand his own words well enough. He only said what Father had told him before. He'd need to do extensive reading afterwards.

"W-Well, sure. There is… _that_ ," the nervous cough she gave rung clearly in the room. "But besides an accomplishment, or helping others… What if it was more physical than anything else?"

"Physical? I'm not sure what you mean," he sheepishly grinned at her words, not truly understanding the meaning behind her words. She was lucky enough that, despite him clearly being a prodigy in many things, his knowledge never did extended all the way to the dark side.

"Don't worry, I can show it to you if you want," her little promise was a surprise for the young prince. "It won't hurt or anything. It'll feel really good."

"Well… If you say so," may have been his response, but his heart was pulsing faster than ever. The sultry tone his sister used wasn't so hard to miss at all.

And it took one blink, one beat of the heart, one single drop of the water from the shower, one single motion from either siblings—

"Nngh..!" He could feel it. Something soft had just grabbed hold of his… boyhood. "R-Rias-nii, what are you..?"

"Don't worry… Just relax…" She cooed, slowly beginning to move her hands forwards and back as she slowly messaged his twitching member.

"Nghaa… Rias-nii, y-you can't…" He tried. He really tried to stop her, forcing his hand over hers to pry it off of him.

"It's alright, just let go…" She whispered into his ear, slowly moving her second hand in. "Just loosen up, Riven… Leave everything to me…"

He desperately wanted her to stop, but the strength to do so was quickly fading, replaced only with sheer pleasure that was bulging widely down in his nether regions. His groin felt shaky, and he had the urge to release.

Slowly, he had gotten used to it all, and let himself truly go, arms falling limp beside him as he leaned back into his sister's breasts, earning himself a wet kiss from his sister to his cheek.

"Good boy…" She cooed, adding more pleasure with her lust-filled voice. "Just focus on this feeling, and nothing else… Just enjoy it…"

 _'Love…'_

Did she just call him her lover? No, truly, it couldn't be!

Even then, no part of his mind could truly recognise any words that left her lips, as all he could do now was accept this pleasure that his sister was giving him, under her mercy just from her soft touches.

He could feel it. It was starting to twitch. And it grew bigger. And bigger. And bigger…

The bulging only showed how intensified the pleasure he was feeling right now, and gods sin him for even feeling this way! From his sister!

But then again, his rational part of his mind wasn't functioning well anymore. Forget it, he was too gone in the feeling of this pleasure that he gave up thinking.

"Hihi..! You really are enjoying this, aren't you..?" She teased, flicking her tongue across his right earlobe, where his cross-earring wasn't there.

"N-No…" He tried so hard to deny, but the way her fingers brushed easily against the head of his length, and how she was slowly messaging his scrota, or how just her touch was instantly awaking it to full attention, everything about her just made it hard to even say 'no'.

"I love you, Riven…" She whispered, stealing kisses from his cheek, to the nape of his neck, lightly biting the skin. "Are you close..?"

She was right. Just a bit more, before his climax came—he could only assume so, by the way he could feel his groin beginning to act up. It wasn't as if he had even participated in self-pleasuring activities, as he had promised himself that he would ultimately give himself to the woman of his life.

Yet, he had never expected for it to be stolen by his own sister.

The urge just grew and grew, and the need to release was becoming closer and closer. It matched well with how he felt so needy, that his shaft was beginning to leak a soft liquid. Viscous and creamy, yet only so little.

"Yeah, you're close…" She giggled, beginning to pump his length even harder now. "Come on, Riven. Just let your desires be fulfilled."

"G-Gha..! Nggha..!" He had to stop this! He just had to! "R-Rias-nii, s-stop! P-Please..!"

"It's okay, Riven. It won't hurt. It'll feel good…" Her promise was honest, and he couldn't help but let go of himself.

And when the climax came, finally came, it shot forth like a bullet!

"I-GhAAaGH!" He let out a guttural moan, drown in lust and pleasure, as his vision went white, his member spasming in multiple, painful compressions, all the while shooting forth thick blasts of his own essence, white and strong, forwards against the bathroom walls, painting the otherwise white walls in even more white, albeit with liquid. He shuddered with each shot, feeling himself drained of energy and built-up pressure. It felt so good..!

'A-Amazing…' Rias blinked in disbelief, feeling herself growing hot at the sight of her brother orgasming before her very eyes. It was even more fulfilling that she was the only one to be able to bear view to this sight.

His ragged breaths, the way his rigid member shot forth every bursts of sperm and semen, how his muscles tensed every time he released, and how the liquid just seemed to add even more beauty to the bathroom, and the scent… She felt as if she were looking at the most beautiful artwork there had ever been.

"H-Hha… Enhh…" He moaned weakly, weak pants escaping him each time he blew another load. He looked to himself, but couldn't find any words to say.

He was exhausted.

* * *

That night had, by far, been the perfect night for the she-devil. Ever since then, her infatuation towards her little brother had grown even more, and she wanted to consider him her lover ever since then.

It was all she wanted, besides Christmas presents and lovely praises from her family.

For the boy, it was because of what she did to him that opened his eyes to the world of pleasure. That beyond kisses and hugs, there would soon be sex. He was scared of it. What would happen if he were to fail as a man? He had been utterly defeated just from a handjob. What could be next to overcome in the future?

…Ah, screw it. He fell asleep the moment he hit the hay. He'll think about it next time.

* * *

The Next Day

Our protagonist was currently standing at the train station with Tiamat standing by his side, as so Satan and Yuri behind the two. Both equally dressed to look normal in the human world, Satan had ceased the fires from sprouting, so as to not raise suspicion in Assiah.

In the luggage that the boy carried were several of Riven's clothes, all ironed and packed away neatly—no doubt Grayfia's work there. Accompanying all the clothes were some other necessities, such as those that he'd no doubt need to bring when he was to take a shower. And for entertainment, Sirzechs saw it fit for Riven to bring his 3DS with him, as well as some games for the console.

Satan frowned, able to see the looks of sorrow and lost on everyone else's faces. Azazel, Gabriel and Michael had came over to say goodbye to the young child, so did the Fallen Governor bring Vali. The young Lucifer truly wanted to say goodbye to his friend.

"Don't worry about it, Vali. We'll meet again soon," Riven smiled, his friend still sobbing for his departure.

"I-I know… But I'm scared we won't see each other for so long…" The white-haired boy spoke in the midst of his cries, unable to wipe away the incoming tears.

"A-Ahaha… I'm sure you'll do fine…" The prince chuckled, hoping that no one would take this particular scene the wrong way.

He didn't want to be called a 'bully'.

Serafall had arrived with her family, waving goodbyes to the boy. She looked sad, but who could judge her? They became best friends—to her, he was her crush—and separation only deepened the longing.

Then there was his own family from the Gremory household. Euclid seemed fine on the outside, taking the young prince's leaving much better than his own sister was, who was busy having simple conversations with her youngest brother, as long as he was still here. Zeoticus and Venelana came as well, bringing with them Sirzechs and Rias.

'R-Rias-nii…' The boy gulped when his eyes met his sister's, forcing him to turn away with a bright blush, thankful that no one caught notice of it.

After what happened last night, so much things he had been thinking about. Was he sinful, despite the fact that she was the one that came to him first? Or, was he wrong for not trying hard enough to stop her?

No matter how he looked at it, he constantly tried to shift the blame towards himself—it only showed how much he loved his sister to even blame her, the supposed perpetrator.

"So, you've got all your stuff packed up, Riven?" The Devil Maou asked, swapping glances from his brother to the luggage and back to his brother, whom nodded in response.

"Yup. We're ready to leave. And again, thank you, for these good five years. Truly, I owe you everything, Aniki-san," the prince bowed at the end of his statement, with his older brother chuckling back.

"I don't know what to say, really. I wish that we could've come, and yet…" Sirzechs knew very much, that his duties as one of the Devil Maous forced some restrains on him, so there was little to nothing that he could do here. Grayfia was required to be by his side, seeing that she was his queen in his peerage.

"It's okay. Both you and Grayfia have given me such a meaningful life, and so has Father and Mother," the prince graced his devil parents a thankful look, one returned with an expression of love, as he stepped towards his brother to give him his last embrace before he'd depart. "Thank you, so much…"

The train finally docked, and its doors opened. Riven was the first to break from their brotherly time. He motioned for Tiamat to enter first, and she did, then followed by Riven and his blood parents. They were seated in a special area that Sirzechs booked for them, all prepared with luxuries one could've never known had existed.

After a good 10 minutes, the doors shut and the dragon-prince and his family looked out through the windows and waved. His smile was honest, but rather small; too small, in fact, that Sirzechs couldn't see it clearly through the glossy window.

Sirzechs couldn't do nothing but wave back, his smile sad and bitter. The train's engines roared to life, and the transportation began moving. Flames enveloped the body, and it made its way up into the sky on its tracks.

"I promise, we will meet again. Thank you for being there with me," Riven muttered to no one in particular, then returned to his seat, awaiting for his new life in the Human world. Now, he just wants to see what thrills were about to happen in this world.

A new beginning should be a good one, yeah?

* * *

 **A/N: So... That was a thing, huh?**

 **Yeah, I'm so getting flamed for this... All readers out there in the world, please keep calm and let me say this; I regret it... Hahaha!**

 **Nonetheless, as you can see, our favourite redhead's finally gone and done it. So, what's going to happen now? Who knows? Our protagonist's making his way to Assiah, the human realm. Let's see how the story goes, eh?**

 **On the side note, thank you so much for sticking with me through this (cringy? good? strange? different?) story. And hey, if you have the time, leave a comment below! Tell me how you felt up until now!**

 **So this is how he spent his childhood. How will things fare above the surface? Well, await the next chapter then!**

 **In any case, I bid you thank you, and adieu!**


	10. Chapter 9

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

 _"For him, it was easy."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!*- Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 9: A New Life At School=-

Present

Three years had gone and passed, huh?

In all these three years, he had gotten used to a life away from his adoptive family. Whilst somewhat lonely, it helped that he had his blood parents by his side, as well as Eve and Tiamat, his dragon partner in his SacredGear, and his Familiar.

Life had flowed simply, nowadays. The child who bore the surname Hirokami had gotten relatively fine with life in Assiah. Where Gehenna—Underworld, Hell, whatever you want to call it—was a bit lenient with some things, Assiah was just loaded with all sorts of rules.

But that didn't stop him from enjoying his life.

*Twee!*

"Sir, stop!" A policeman cladded in blue blew his whistle and shouted, but his target wouldn't stop. Instead, he vaulted over a fence and entered the bustling market area, making sure to avoid every pedestrian there was there.

The lad that was currently running was wearing a simple blue dress shirt and black trousers, accompanied with white sneakers. His black hair—accompanied with his bangs now white—trailed after him as he continued his escape. He had a cross-earring attached to his left earlobe, light bouncing off of it.

This lad is indeed Riven Hirokami, who is now 16 years old. While his time here had been much shorter than his time in the Devil world, a lot of changes has definitely occurred.

After all the training with his swords, his SacredGear and magic, he developed an athletic and lean build. He was by no means a body builder, but he was the 'skinny and had good muscles that looked cool' type. But grabbing attention was not on his plate right now, since it meant that he was being chased.

But of course, he constantly made sure to focus on his studies, shifting from politics to economics, to physiology to accountings. He had drilled the curricular all the way from other countries, such as Malaysia to Europe to German, into his mind, even more fluent in his languages now. He was, without doubt, the smartest being on the planet.

Or as his mother liked it, smarter than his own father, much to the wolf's dismay.

As of right now, he was currently distancing himself from the police. Why? Because he managed to beat up a group of criminals, seven to be exact… Yeah, I know. And the police were chasing him down for reasons only God knows. Probably saw him as a threat, maybe? It made sense, he supposed.

He wall-jumped on opposite buildings and managed to get a good grip on the building's rooftop. Putting a good foot on a loose brick, he leapt up and was now running away, on the rooftops. Yeah. I mean, if he could jump from treetop to treetop, this would be a walk through the park for him.

He jumped from a building and did a combat roll to remove any pressure, and continued running. A car was closing in on him, but he managed to vault over it, and then he had to climb over a metal-fence that stood easily over 2 feet from the ground. He snickered, feeling himself pretty far from the cops.

He kept running away, but somehow managed to corner himself in an alley. Lady Luck was not playing on his side, it seems.

Two policemen appeared at the scene, one chubby guy and a skinny one, holding their batons in their hands, and Riven managed to see that both had tasers clipped to their belts. The prince clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, not wanting to deal with this right now.

"That's it, man! It's over! So now, put your hands over your head and no one gets hurt…" The chubby police ordered, smacking his dry lips together. Oh boy, he's gonna' regret it.

"Aright, alright. You got me…" Riven feigned a surrounding posture, having to pull out an orb with white contents from his pocket earlier.. "Not!"

*Ck!* *Poof!*

Immediately, he tossed the orb to the ground, effectively breaking it and out came thick smoke, managing to dull the colours of the area as everything became a fuzzy grey. The policemen couldn't see, as everything had became a mix of white, grey, and littles of blacks.

It was only after the smoke cleared, a good minute later, did they finally realise that their target had long been gone.

"Dammit!" The skinny one cursed, cracking his flimsy knuckles. "We almost got em'."

"Shut it, jackass," the chubby police snorted, moving away from the area. "Come on, let's go already."

Unbeknownst to them, Riven was actually above them, standing on the rooftop of the building that he was cornered to, looking down on the policemen and watching them leave the area. Riven couldn't help but let loose a triumphant grin, having to have just outmanoeuvre the police, and immediately made his way back home.

Today was fun.

* * *

Riven's House

 **"So,"** Satan began, looking at the newspaper on the couch, licking between his incisors. **"Kuoh is basically Gremory's territory, right? That means we're basically kings here."**

"Don't take it the wrong way, dear. It just means that there wouldn't be any problematic issues that would arise here. If there had been any threats here from the other Factions, then they would be dealt with," she corrected, mentally groaning at her husband's assumption.

 **"Well, it still kinda' feels stupid, in my opinion. But oh well, as long as there won't be any trouble,"** he shrugged, laying down with a chuckle.

Tiamat, on the other hand, was humming in delight while she was watering the flower pots. Why?

See, being that Kuoh Academy was basically in Gremory territory, it partially meant that the academy belonged to them. However, it was later revealed that the Sitri family were the ones in control of the academy. Riven was immediately accepted into the school, and so was she. Finally, a place to be at instead of being stuck at home!

*Knock Knock!*

"Heyaz!" The dragoness could hear her master calling from the outside, prompting her to put her watering can as she welcomed him home.

The house was a generous gift Sirzechs had gifted to them when they came here. It was a simple 2-floored bungalow that had a regular living room with couched, a coffee table in the centre with an LCD TV that Riven managed to win in a lottery. Dang, his luck was good! The house also had good ceiling fans, lights, flower pots around and a total of 5 rooms; 3 at the first floor and 2 at the second floor.

The first three rooms was the TV and Dining area, both in one section, the storeroom and a kitchen. The second floor held both Riven's and Tiamat's bedrooms, and his parent's room respectively. Sure, the luxury wasn't there, but at least it was better than sleeping on rocks—in Tiamat's case, or out during the rain—in Riven's case.

"Welcome home, Riven. What were you up to today?" She asked, softly, allowing him space.

"Went sightseeing, got myself a new pair of glasses," immediately, he pulled out a case, in it a simple, round, black-framed glasses. "Don't worry, it has no power. Anyways, after buying that, I saw a group of thugs picking on a little girl. So…"

 **"You beat them up?"** His father perked up immediately from his nap, sounding excited. He snickered when his son nodded back. **"Nice. But I bet you got chased by police, again."**

"Thankfully, parkour was not part of their training protocol," he smiled, hearing the door shut behind him. "In any case, tomorrow's the day, right?"

"Mmhm! Tomorrow, we're going to our new academy," the dragoness tittered.

"Excited, aren't you?" He chuckled, somewhat surprised. Being a dragon, she had constantly been used to isolation, so to hear her saying that she wants to interact with society was something rather mind-blowing.

"Mou, don't be mean…" She pouted for a moment, before her grin resurfaced. "I mean, there's so many things that we'd get to do there! It'll be fun!"

"Yeah, I could understand what you mean," he nodded in understanding.

"Plus, your sister is there," the point immediately stopped him.

So, he'd be reunited with Rias after three long years. Ooh…

"…I think I'm ready to hit the hay now," he spoke in a monotonous tone, giving a kiss to his parents before walking up the stairs.

"Did I say something wrong?" The Dragon King asked after her liege was out of earshot, a tad bit curious.

 **"Nah, I doubt it. Running from the police for so long takes a toll on your body, stamina-wise,"** Satan explained, earning an understanding hum from the dragoness. **"Welp, we should get to bed too. It's evening when he came back, it'll be night soon."**

With a nod, both human, wolf and dragoness left for their own rooms, with Tiamat bunking in with her liege.

* * *

The Next Day

Starting at home, both Riven and Tiamat had adorned the outfits for the school.

For the boys, it was black blazer with white details, worn over a white, long-sleeved dress shirt and a black ribbon on the collar, matching black pants and brown leather shoes.

He would have worn them all, considering the thought that he didn't like ribbons all that much. As such, he discarded it, swapping it for a black tie he purchased during his free time before this. He too changed the brown shoes for black ones, as it had became his favourite colour in the world.

The girls would wear a white long-sleeved buttoned shirt, again with the black ribbon on the white collar, a black corset and shoulder cape, as well as a maroon-purple skirt with white trailings.

She didn't like some of her own very much either, opting to throw away the shoulder cape. She went with everything else, putting on white knee-length stockings and blue shoes.

"Well, well. Milord, you look dashing," she wasn't making false flattery here. She was honest-to-goodness blushing, admiring how well he looked. She liked his tie too—she couldn't imagine him wearing the ribbon instead.

"Y-You as well," he admitted, bashful as ever. Either he was too shy to accept compliments, too shy to give them, or possibly both.

And then, they left the house, on their way to the academy.

It was great, just great. Besides the fact that he would probably make a lot of friends there, that he'd have a blast of a time there, that he'd study and work hard, he was reminded of the fact that his sister, Rias is there, studying in the same academy he was currently going to.

'Oh, I feel like I'm about to pass out…' Riven felt sloshy. His legs were like iron balls, chained to his abdomen, friction intensified greatly as it made him harder to move forwards.

Ever since the incident in the bathroom, he had developed a slight anxiety towards his sister. Of course, he still loved her, but he was afraid that when time came that it was just the two of them, _alone_ , then things would indefinitely take a turn for the scariest.

He couldn't dare imagining what could happen next.

But the books taught him plenty. As part of some school's curriculum, a student was required to study on the anatomy that made up both man and women. This ranged from respiratory, to excretory, to… reproduction.

God, the awkwardness he felt when he was reading up on the women was real! Now, he didn't dare look at a girl the same way he had once—childishly innocent no longer, he was now suited up with bountiful knowledge. Sweet, horrendously mind-scarring knowledge.

But still, that would not stop him from forging and strengthening bonds with girls and the like. He knew that he'd have to fall in love someday, and he'd have to pluck the flower someday. Until then, he'd study as much as he could, and—

"Aargh!" Was that a scream?

"Who was that?" Tiamat asked, curious.

 **'Hnngh! This sensation..!'** Eve suddenly perked to full attention, scanning the area for the same sensation.

'What is it, Eve?' He asked, feeling a tad bit cautious.

 **'Riven, the scream from earlier! It belonged to the host of the BoostedGear!'** At that, the boy's eyes widened in surprise.

'Really? Well, wouldn't you know. Eve, where is he?' He asked, able to hear her hum.

 **'He's… outside of a building. Surrounded by women with wooden swords,'** she told him, earning a look of questioning from the prince. 'Hey, I'm not kidding here! Let's just get there quick. I can tell that he's about to get one hell of a beating!'

And off the liege and his Familiar rush off.

* * *

Kuoh Academy

'This sucks..!' The boy, wielding the BoostedGear, mentally whined, completely at the mercy of the Kendo club. 'Ooh, I'm so dead..!'

This is a character fairly easy to identify. There is no possible way that anyone would not know him. Well… unless they haven't watch the anime, read the manga or light novels, or even heard of him.

In any case, let's do a simple recheck. This is Hyoudou Issei, a simple human boy who does indeed possess the Longinus [Boosted Gear]. He was an ordinary fellow with an average height and build, with brown hair that spiked softly, leaving two ends to branch out behind his head, going well with his light brown eyes.

He was wearing the same outfit that the students of Kuoh adorned, albeit wearing a red T-shirt underneath the dress shirt and blazer, as well as blue and white sneakers instead.

Now, why was he in trouble in the first place? Let's do a simple second recheck.

Issei, from a time none know, is considered a perverted boy. His desires for breasts and attraction to the female body—going so much as to peek on girls, which is the main reason for his current dilemma—has utterly won him the title as one of the 'Perverted Trio of Kuoh Academy'. Despite this, he continues on to do whatever his heart yearned, which led him to his ultimate demise.

See, his friends, Matsuda, a bald person, and Motohama, who wears glasses, are known with Issei as this 'Perverted Trio'. Just today, they had gone on their mission to peep on the girls once more. Except, this time, the girls were much more prepared this time, able of catching the three early. However, being the bad friends they were, both Matsuda and Motohama had ultimately used Issei as a sacrifice, leaving him behind so that they could escape.

'Argh, why am I friends with them again..?' Issei had just dug a grave for himself, and there was no way he was going to get out of this alive.

"So, what do you think you're gonna' do now, huh?" A girl's voice, he recognised all too well as Murayama, co-captain of the Kendo club.

She was beautiful, he had no doubts about it. She had long brown hair, tied into a ponytail that stretched well below her waist. The kendo club outfit she wore was just adding detail to her developing D-cup and toned stomach, the latter an effect due to all the training she's done.

B84-W70-H81 cm, just as Motohama had said.

Appearing beside her was Katase, a girl with pink hair. Pretty, as she too participates in the Kendo club's activities, being that she was a member of them. She had a bust not big as Murayama's, but still bountiful for the seeing.

B78.5-W65-H79 cm. Damn it, he really needed to stop thinking about things like this…

"M-M-Maybe you could let me go..?" He asked with a shaky grin, letting out a yelp when the other brunette struck her shinai against the wall. "I-I promise I won't look anymore!"

"A promise from you is a useless promise," the girl coldly shot, the other club members nodding in unison. "Well then, Issei, I hope you're ready for your punishment. Get ready for the beating of your life!"

"MOMMY..!" He cried out, and at the right time—

"Wait!" All eyes turned to the source of the voice, and a blush filled the faces of every girls there.

A handsome teenager, possibly sixteen, came up to them from nowhere, dressed in the school's uniform, except with a tie. It was so odd, that it only added to his appeal.

"Umm…" He didn't know what to say, but the way all girls suddenly stood, transfixed to their spots as they stared at him was beginning to unnerve him. "H-Hello?"

"O-Oh!" The brown-haired girl was the first to snap out of her stupor, the reddening on her face still not disappearing. "Y-Yes? How may we help you?"

"Sorry, I came to have a… private chat with that boy over there," Riven pointed to the brunette on the ground, who sported soft bruises on his arms. 'Yeesh… What did they do to him..?'

"H-Him? Really?" The pinkette was surprised, wondering why such a wonderful person such as him came to see this perverted beast.

"Yes, really," he nodded, softly smiling that only intensified their blushes. "I know that you have a… matter to discuss with him, but I'd like it if I could borrow your friend here for a while, if you're fine with it?"

"S-Sure," the brunette nodded, before outstretching her hand, weakly. "N-Name's Murayama, by the way."

"Pleasure. I'm a new student," he took her hand in his, a firm grip that almost melted her. "I'm Riven Hirokami, just transferred here. I'm hoping that we can form a fruitful school life together."

"O-Of course!" She nodded too quickly, as if she had whiplash. The blush disappeared the instant she turned to look at the boy on the ground, the cold glare almost setting off his bowels. "Go."

"R-Right!" The brunette nodded, rushing forwards and walking away with Riven.

* * *

"…" Riven stayed quiet for a moment there, looking past his shoulder to make sure they were out of the clear. "…Okay…" He sighed, deeply. "That was difficult… You alright, man?"

"Y-Yeah…" He nodded. "Thanks, Riven..?"

"Mmhm. That's my name," the lad smiled back, swiping his black hair aside so his eyes could be seen. "You looked like you were on death's door just now."

"Yeah, tell me about it…" The brunette laughed, before shaking the other guy's shoulder. "Thanks, for just now. I'm Issei Hyoudou."

"Good to meet you," the prince smiled back. "This here is Tiamat, a friend of mine."

"Whoa, killer looks!" Issei immediately flared to life, before wilting under her suddenly cold stare. It looked worse than Murayama's.

"Riven, I think we should put up a notice at the notice board. 'A student gone missing', it would say," it didn't take long for the [Boosted Gear] wielder to put two pieces together, paling at the realisation. "You look at me like that ever again, and step across the line, you're dead meat."

"Y-Y-Yes, ma'am…" He shook his head much too quickly.

"Good," Tiamat grinned back at the brunette's stupidity, mumbling a soft note to herself. "Only Riven can do anything to me…"

"What was that?" Said person asked, responded with a shake of the head. "O...kay. In any case, I think we should get going, don't you think?"

"Yeah. I think we're in the same class, aren't we?" The brunette crossed his arms behind his head.

"Should be. 2-B, right? We're sixteen," he commented, with Tiamat being the only one older than anyone on the campus.

But would he really need to point it out? As long as there were no problems, he saw no reason to hoist a death flag.

* * *

At first, he was just hoping that the moment he'd step into the classroom, all he'd have to do, was to greet the students and teacher, introduce himself, and just take a seat. Hopefully, Tiamat would sit somewhere beside him, as it would set his heart at ease. That was the original plan, but—

"Oh my, who's that?"  
"Oh Lord! He's so handsome!"  
"W-Why is that girl with him?!"  
"Are they dating?! I want to be with him too!"

The moment he stepped inside, stepping in front of the blackboard, everything turned a complete three-sixty.

In his mind, Riven could only nose-bleed horribly as he deals with the endless flattery. Tiamat however, felt so tempted to just eat them off. Though, of course, she wouldn't be able to do said actions, if it meant hurting her liege's heart. If anything, she wanted to be the only one to stand by her lord's side.

Then the boys were up.

"Crud, another bishounen…"  
"We've already got one, now we have two?!"  
"That chick, she can't possibly be with him, right?!"  
"Damn that kid!"

The prince frowned, biting the insides of his cheek in slight sadness. Catching notice of this, Tiamat immediately snarled at the boys, whom flinched from the sudden action, proceeding to hold her lord's hand to give him slight comfort. Her fingers rubbed against the back of his hand, and his mood improved by a bit; he appreciated the sentiment very much.

The dragoness? She had to avert herself from facing her liege, trying her best to make sure he didn't see the bloom in her face.

After a while, he decided that it was time to speak.

"R-Right, my name is Riven Hirokami. And this here is Tiamat. We will be starting a student life with you, and I ask that we get along!" Riven ended his statement with a bow, to which Tiamat followed suit.

Although, he couldn't lie that the squeals from the girls and the hateful mutters that spread amongst the boys couldn't help quench his slight anxiety. The teacher instructed him to find a seat, pointing to the farthest corner at the back.

"Okay," he nodded, motioning for his Familiar to follow, of which she complied.

But then—

"Sup'!" Surprise, surprise.

"Issei?" Riven's eyebrow raised. "Huh, wasn't expecting for me to sit with you."

"Same here! At least I have someone to sit with," the brunette smiled, before limply sagging on the table, sniffing sadly. "Everyone sat away from me."

"Well, this works, but what about you, Tia—" He didn't get to finish his sentence, as said dragoness had appeared beside him, holding a table and a chair in both hands, setting it beside his own desk, which would mean he'd be sitting between the two.

The students looked at the scene, somewhat surprised.

"I like sitting close to milord," she said simply, not noticing the embarrassed groans leaving her liege's lips.

It was then that rumours would spread. Only God knows what could stir from this fire. Class proceeded, and everything just went down like usual.

* * *

An Hour and a Half Later

Class was uneventful, and Riven had not even bothered to listen to the teacher's lessons. This was because Sirzechs and Grayfia had already tutored him on these thi—Oh right, his family. Riven gave off a sigh, he missed his family and old friends he made back when he was still in the Underworld.

But going back on the topic, Sirzechs and Grayfia had put all their efforts into teaching Riven everything he needed. And now, he was considered to be the most intelligent person there was, able to compete with his own brother in various competitions, and winning on a ratio of…

Actually screw it! Ratios were meaningless, cause' Riven couldn't remember any more. He just had too many victories under his belt, much to his embarrassment.

"So, you guys came from somewhere else?" Issei broke the silence, stirring a conversation with the prince and his Familiar.

"Yeah. We actually lived back in Malaysia," Riven informed, earning himself a look of confusion from the brunette. "Hmm, how to… Oh, our student planners have maps. Take yours out."

The brown-haired boy followed his orders, withdrawing his black student planner from his own schoolbag. Flipping the pages toe the very last section, to the part where the map was, Riven began showing where his lie-of-a-home was.

"So you lived… damn! That's kind of far! I think," Issei ended his sentence with a simple thoughtful look, earning himself a chuckle from his friend.

"I doubt it's that far. In any case, my parents, both pure Japanese, took me there because my dad was on a business job, and his job required him to work there," making things up on the spot proved to be one of the most easiest things for the prince. "And, after his job was settled, we returned back to the land of the rising sun."

"Whoa, cool story," the brunette whistled, not realising that he had been lied to. "Then what about Tiamat here?"

"Well, as she so bluntly put it earlier…" Said dragoness gave a sheepish grin to her liege's words. "She came from a family of retainers that have long served my family. However, I bought her using my own money, and had her set free. You know how it works. Buuut…"

"I still want to serve him," the girl participated in the lie, giggling at her liege's well-practiced groan. It sounded almost like a real one. "Oh, come now. I practically owe my life to you."

"Maybe I should have just taken a train and ran away…" Riven's words were being taken for granted by the brunette, who still didn't catch up on the lie. "Well, that's all there is. How about you, man?"

"Nah, my life's just normal. I live my parents in the neighbourhood here," he began. "I came to this school because it was closest, so yeah."

"Aah, I could understand that…" The lad nodded, simply enjoying this casual talk between the three of them, although there must have been _another_ reason his new friend came here, but he'd decided to let it slide.

Sooner then, their little conversation was broken by the appearance of a new figure.

"Excuse me?" Perking up, all three looked up to the figure—Issei hissed in annoyance. He saw the person he was talking to was Kuoh Academy's 'Handsome Prince'. And truth be told, he would be lying if the man he saw before him was anything but handsome.

Kiba Yuuto, his name was. He was indeed a handsome young man with short blonde hair, grey eyes and a mole underneath his left eye. He wears the Kuoh Academy boys' school uniform long-sleeved dress shirt with a black ribbon on the collar, matching black pants, and brown dress shoes.

"Great… It's the bishounen…" The brunette blew a raspberry, somewhat annoyed that this out-of-the-world-kind boy came to them. "What do you want?"

"I merely came here to pick up Lady Rias's brother," he answered, and—

"WHAT?!"

'Ah shoot… This guy must be part of Rias-nii's peerage then…' Riven mentally sweat-dropped, distraught that his cover had been blown.

"R-Really?! But Rias-senpai has red hair! This guy has b-black, with a bit of white!" Issei sputtered, each word holding loose assonance or consonance.

"True, but I was adopted by her family for a while, which counts me as her adoptive brother," the prince decided to come clean, earning even more surprised yelps from everyone there. "My ears… Ouch…"

"Lord Riven," oh great. Just because he was Rias's sibling, meant that he'd have to be treated like royalty now. "Rias-sama is the buchou to the Occult club, the current club that we are taking part in. She has asked that I take you to her."

"Let's dial it a bit backwards now. How did she know that I was here? I didn't even tell her or anything," Riven asked, that question bothering him a bit.

"Oh, it's simple. She said that she could 'sense you from a mile away'," the bishounen answered with a calm smile.

Ok, that sounded creepy.

"So, should we go now?" He asked. Tiamat and Issei shared a brief glance at each other.

"Yes, I hope I'm not disturbing you in any way?" Kiba asked, a calm grin on his face.

"Oh no, no problem at all. But if possible, I want Issei and Tiamat to come with me," he said, gesturing to the dragoness and his new friend, the latter beaming with stars in his eyes.

"Of course. Now if you'd please," Kiba gestured, and the trio followed the blonde boy to the old school building, where the Occult club was located.

* * *

Occult club

'This is amazing..!' Issei had practically been over the moon from earlier.

He never liked the bishounen that much, but Riven was straight up a different case. He had an aura of royalty, yet it was apparent as day that he rather treat others like an equal. Add to it that he was fairly a fun guy to be with, and everything about him was enjoyable.

And when the guy was invited to go see his sister—a big ass shocker for the brunette—and that he had invited both him himself and Tiamat to come with, he was practically crying in his mind, thankful for his new friend.

But stepping foot at the old building, it somehow gave him the creeps, but it also possessed an aura that was actually… inviting. Yes, call him crazy and all, but it just felt that way.

No doubt that getting to their destination was going to prove to be a toughie. Riven had asked that he and Tiamat go somewhere to discuss about something, telling Kiba and Issei that they'd catch up soon. Of course, being the gentleman he was, the blonde excused himself, leaving them alone, with Issei trailing after him.

"Well, what do you think? Ready to meet your sister after three years?" Tiamat asked, the toothy grin she was giving not helping him with his trepidation.

"I don't know… It's an odd feeling," he admitted, his Familiar tilting her head. "It's just… I'm finally reuniting with my sister after so long. On one part, I'm feeling extremely happy that I get to be with her again. I missed her a lot, after all."

"And the other?" She pried.

"…Anxious," the word came out slow, soft that she almost couldn't hear, despite her sharpened dragon hearing skills. "I'm worried what she'll think of me, what she'll say…"

"Really? Then I think you have nothing to worry about," his Familiar smiled, gaining herself a bewildered look. "What? I mean, why should you? Both of you are like two cloths knitted together. Your bonds are just as strong, if not stronger from the separation. I bet that she still loves you. Don't you think so?"

"I-I suppose so…" He nodded slowly.

"See? Stop worrying so much!" She giggled at his innocent dumbness, taking his hand in hers and rushing off. "Come on!

Tiamat was right. He was finally going to see his sister. This was a moment of happiness!

And yet…

With Kiba not there to guide them through the building was instantly one of their regrets when they stepped foot into the building. It was too hard, seeing that there were corridors that ran left and right. Seemingly endless, added with the fact that there was no lights whatsoever! Though, of course, with much practice being in the dark, he's managed to get a good sense of where to step and where not to run forwards, lest he bash his head against the wall.

Taking a turn at the left, they continued marching forwards, until they landed at the same place they started earlier. Riven took the stairs in front of him and turning right once more. He decided to continue walking until he took a turn to the right—

*Thud!*

"Gah..!" Instantly regretting it as he felt his nose squished by the wall. He jumped backwards, gawking at the strange feeling of wood that made contact with his noise.

Curiosity piqued, he wiped his hands against the wall in clean strokes, able to feel the smooth touch of stone. And yet, there was a soft breeze from a little gap. He could even hear sounds from behind it.

"Must be a door," Tiamat suggested, her liege humming in acknowledgement.

"Well, let's put your hypothesis to the test," he muttered, lightly placing the flat side of his fist against the wall. He flattened out his hand now, applying some force to the wall.

*Creak…*

Just as Tiamat had guessed, the wall was indeed a door; probably a secret entrance. He sighed, now seeing another stretch of a corridor before him.

Together, they travelled down it once more, arriving at the foot of a flight of stairs to their right halfway through the corridor. Deciding it was better than nothing, they climbed upwards, now in front of a door after they travelled a complex maze of even more corridors.

She couldn't lie; she despised corridors now.

The two glanced at each other, with Tiamat nodding at her liege before the latter gave a few good knocks on the door with the back of his knuckle.

"Come in," he heard a familiar voice, one that belonged to Kiba, the same blonde that he met earlier. He twisted the knob, entering the now open doorway.

* * *

Now, Riven was not wanting to insult the club's sense of room-making, but—

*Cssh!*

A shower in the club room… seriously?! Tiamat could only groan in slight annoyance while Riven was fidgeting, trying to avert his gaze away from the showers. He looked to his surroundings, and he noticed some people; familiar and new.

There was Koneko Toujo, whom Riven had no problem identifying as a Nekomata and as Kuroka's sister, Shirone—she didn't seem to notice him, even after he came into the room after all this time, leading to him wondering as to why she was so distant. Nonetheless, he decided to sit tight, no words said as he watched her nibble on a piece of chocolate. She had short silver hair and man, was she small. Her eyes briefly met his, pausing from her previous action, and the treat immediately left her lips.

"…Riven..?" She called out, surprising everyone else there was there. "I-Is that you..?"

"A-Ahaha… Heyaz…" He waved shyly, yelping a bit when she suddenly crossed the room to him. "G-Good to see you too… How have you been?"

"F-Fine…" She nodded, blushing for just a moment.

"How's Kuroka? Are you two getting along fine?" He missed both the girl before him, and her sister. The two of them were good friends of him.

"W-We're fine," she nodded, poking her finger with a chocolate against his lip once, before nibbling on said finger, the blooming on her face coming afterwards.

"U-Uhh…" The looks of disbelief on everyone else's faces—Tiamat, Issei, Kiba, a black-haired girl who stood at the side, a boy in a box, a girl in a nun's outfit, another exorcist he could assume, and a valkyrie he heard of— was enough to tell him that this must have been one hell of a thing. He licked the chocolate off of his lip, his own blush coming forth. "T-Thank you…"

"N-No, that won't do," Koneko shook her head, taking out a chocolate bar from her pocket and giving it to this person. Multiple gasps filled the room in its wake. "Here."

"Oh, thanks," he smiled gratefully at her, watching as she returned back to the couch she sat at, whilst he was left to sigh in his mind. 'Damn it… Why is she so small? Stunted growth? Maybe lockdown of her own senjutsu?'

He ignored the thought in exchange of the boy in the box just beside Koneko, whose eyes were focused solely on him. He was a half-vampire whose name was Gasper Vladi, and Eve could tell that he had a SacredGear. With the knowledge he acquired, the dhampir had the 'Forbidden Balor View' in his possession; truly a powerful artifact. A fan of girly things, he wasn't much of a boyish person, but that didn't mean he was weak. He just liked female clothing, so?

Next, he saw Kiba Yuto, whom he met earlier and knows has a Sacred Gear, sitting on a couch opposite of him, previously reading a book, now staring at him with a look of befuddlement. Riven could sense the aura of 'Sword Birth' pulsing from the blonde, probably as an indication of him being a Knight.

"N-No way…" Issei, who was sitting beside Kiba, was the first one to break the silence. "Koneko-chan _never_ gives her chocolate to anyone!"

"…Only if they're not perverts…" She shot back, smiling softly at her friend before returning back to her snack. She ignored the pained look on her other senpai's face—Issei.

"W-What the hell?! Riven, explain to us! How the heck do you know Koneko here?!" The brunette had practically demanded, with everyone else besides the Nekomata, staring at the person of interest.

"W-We met in a forest. I was nearly killed by some assassin, her sister saved my life, I made dinner for the two of them, and I left," he surmised, leaving the details of magic and senjutsu for later. "It's been… what? Six years ago?"

"D-Damn… To think that she still remembers you…" The brunette fell back into the chair, ignoring all his manners as he droned on the thought. "And she gave you her chocolate…"

"Yeah… Is there a problem with that?" He was truly curious why this was such a big thing. Was it not normal to share food with your close friends?

"Riven-nii," he turned his sights to the human-vampire halfbreed. "Koneko-san _never_ shares her food with anyone. Never."

"Which makes you very special to her if she actually shares her food with you," another person spoke.

Their fuka-buchou, Akeno Himejima, the half-fallen half-devil that stood there. Being the daughter of a human woman, and the Fallen Barakiel, he was surprised to find her still unable to master the powers of lightning. Even so, he decided that it was a topic all on its own, wanting not to upset Rias's Queen.

"Ara ara~! Now I'm interested in what your history together was…" She purred, the lad shuddering from her sultry tone.

"I already gave you the details," he sweat-dropped. He flicked his orbs to the next person, smiling gently at her. "Hey there."

"H-Hello…" The blonde girl tugged on her nun's outfit's skirt, not knowing what to do.

This was Asia Argento, a former nun turned devil who controlled the SacredGear of healing called the 'Twilight Healing'. Nifty. But reading on her little backstory was outright tragic; shunned by the same people she lived with just because she healed a Devil back then. But now, clearly she was contented with her current life, indicated by how she was enjoying her conversation with a woman with blue hair and a slit of green earlier.

The next person on the list was Xenovia Quarta, a former exorcist, who had control over a very dangerous sword, the Durandal. A previous wielder of an Excalibur was already a huge boost in her respect level, so that was that. But it seemed that her beliefs were flexible, as she seemed to not really care despite being a devil, unlike Asia, who he could tell must have struggled with the idea.

The second last was probably a new addition to the group; Rossweisse, a valkyrie who hailed from the Norse world. A previous servant of Odin, she now was a Devil who worked as an instructor at the Kuoh Academy. He knew this, because he saw her teaching a class on his way to his own class.

Out of a sudden, he noticed Issei moving to his seat, with him and Tiamat moving to the side to make room for the brunette. Funny, he was in between them again.

…Not in that way.

"Sorry… I don't think I can handle that Kiba yet…" Issei whispered, annoyed all the same.

"S-Sure. No problem," the lad shrugged nervously, awaiting the presence of the last person.

*Creak!*

'Sister…' Never had he thought he would even think about saying it, but…

She grew even more beautiful than he last met her.

The door to the shower room opened, revealing a wet red-haired woman who held her towel over her chest. She busied herself with wiping away all the trickles of water in her hair and on her body, opening her eyes a moment later and smiling at everyone else in the room. Her hair was longer now, red, danced all the way to her waist. Her skin like porcelain, and her eyes like diamonds

And then her eyes fell upon the prince, blue orbs meeting black ones, the former widening to the size of saucers.

"You better go say 'hi' to her…" Tiamat softly elbowed his side, prompting him to step off the couch and standing in front of her.

Emotions shooting forth like a broken dam, it felt like he was high on drugs or something. He was feeling nauseous, wobbly, and he almost fell back there. Thankfully, he managed to avoid said problem.

And now, he stood, opposite of her, breathing calmly as he looked at his sister, who looked as if she had just been hit by paralysis.

'Ah, damn it. I forgot what to say…' He mentally whimpered, and willed his hand to raise, waving shakily at her. "H-Hey, Rias-nii. Nice to—"

*Thud!*

"Guh!" He hadn't a moment to even finish his sentence, instead with his body pulled into a strong hug, with red being the only thing he could see. "R-Rias-nii?"

"Y-You idiot…" She muttered, grip wavering as her body shook. "You left…"

"I-I did…" He accepted his fate of getting hit, but instead got a hug. Nonetheless, he didn't hold himself back from hugging back the otherwise half-naked girl. "It's been so long…"

"It has…." She nodded in his chest, the sniffles audible to everyone else.

A moment passed like that, as brother and sister kept their embrace, despite being displayed for the eyes of others. He blushed a bit, feeling his head beginning to grow lighter under the looks of surprise from the others.

"N-Neh, Rias-nii… We could always just continue this afterwards. Your, uh… Your club members are still here," he added after that slight delay.

She didn't speak a word. While she was reluctant to let go, she had to admit that it was kind of shameful to be doing this in front of her peerage members. She released him, face and eyes red as she smiled longingly at him.

"It's good to see you again, brother…" She smiled, the most amount of joy displayed there, in that one instance.

"Yeah," the prince nodded, mirroring his sister's smile with one of his own. "It is."

* * *

Later

"S-So… Let me get this straight. All of you," the 'Perverted Trio' member gestured to everyone here. "Are all devils?"

"Except me, because I'm a demon," Riven corrected.

"And me, because I'm a dragon," Tiamat admitted, gaining looks of shock from everyone else besides him and Rias.

And Issei too, because he knew little to zero.

"Wait a minute… I knew the name 'Tiamat' was familiar. She's one of the Dragon Kings," Kiba noted, eyes widening as the revelation fell upon him. "Wait a minute, you mean—"

"Yup. I'm Tiamat, a Dragon King, at your service," she kicked back into the couch, gasps encore. "Oh, and to let you know why I'm here, and not elsewhere, it's 'cause I'm Riven's familiar."

Even more gasps came forth.

"God, I thought I was going to die back there…" The prince in question groaned. "The battle was tough, I'll admit that."

"Indeed, and he made Lady—Wait a minute, you _fought_ her?!" Rias suddenly screamed, eyes filled to the brim with disbelief.

"Believe it or not, your brother is super strong. Faced me with that one kid. What was his name again..?" She stroked her chin, as if there were a beard there, until the answer came to her. "Aha! I know! Vali! Vali Lucifer!"

"What?!" All eyes turned back to him once more. God, if he was going to be the centre of attention for much longer..!

"We're friends," he sighed, wishing that he could just disappear. Being in the spotlight felt so awkward and nerve-wreaking for him. "And it'll take me a heck of a lot just to reason with him to not kill you, Issei."

"Huh? Why's that?" The brunette asked, feeling a part of his stomach drop.

"You know the SacredGear that I talked to you about, right? The [Boosted Gear]?" At his question, he was responded with a nod. "Alright. In that [Boosted Gear], there's a dragon called Ddraig. Ddraig's got a rival, and that rival is in the SacredGear that my friend Vali has, which makes him your rival."

"Oh, okay. But what's there to worry about?" He asked once more.

"Issei, you're a human as of right now. Vali, on the other hand, is a direct descendant to Lucifer, one of the Devils. He can probably kill you if he wanted to," at that, the boy paled. "Or, I could try talking to him. Maybe then, he won't do anything."

"Please do so…" Issei had begged this time, looking weak.

"Will do," Riven nodded.

"So… I have this powerful item inside of me that was passed down from God? Cool…" The boy's expressions took a turn for the lecherous, as he suddenly began drooling, eyes dreamy. "Ooh, I could imagine it now! Red Dragon Emperor! Loved by all the women in the world! My harem dream would become real!"

"…Pervert…" The Nekomata muttered, loud enough for the [Boosted Gear] wielder to hear.

"Shut it! No one asked for your opinion!" He practically roared at her, but the girl kept eating away. He sweat-dropped when she continued ignoring him. "Seriously..?"

"So, what now? We can't leave him as is," Riven pursed his lips in a straight line, pondering on the thought.

With Issei being the wielder of the [Boosted Gear], it'd mean that he'd have to clash blades with Vali someday, and Vali was already good at fighting. By now, he should have gotten over his fear of people, so that would be an immense boost for him.

And with the [Boosted Gear], there was no way his human body could truly resist the strain from wielding it. In fact, it would ultimately cause him to implode, or burn out. That was something he was wishing to avoid.

'Wait a minute…' Suddenly a thought came to mind, calling forth Eve. 'Eve, can you relate [Royal Arcana] to anything?'

[Royal Arcana], his self-named Longinus. He had wondered on what to call it, when it came to him like a snap of the fingers.

 **'Well, technically speaking, it's basically about tarot cards. Arcana,'** she said simply. **'What are you thinking?'**

'Well, considering how it works… Say I were to form a peerage, do you think I could imbue him with the power of the [Royal Arcana]? With it, he could stay as a human, yet have enough power to wield his [Boosted Gear] without imploding,' he suggested, and she thought on it for a while.

Over the years, the both of them had studied on the tarot cards, related to the term 'arcana'. And from there, it had led them down an extensive reading on a certain topic, where it talked about those who 'forged a contract' with those like Riven are called 'confidants'.

It began simple, and detailed explanations were drilled into his mind, as they are into his partner's. He'd have to figure out the whole thing soon enough.

'So maybe, if I can form whatever contract with them, just as how I made one with Tiamat, and you made one with me, maybe I could make one with them as well,' he simplified, a new goal set.

 **'Well, it would be very nice if it works. Who knows? If we do pull it off, maybe it could help us as well,'** she hummed, with the prince mentally nodding, cutting off the connection to return to reality.

"So what now? What would you want me to do?" Issei asked, beginning to question the reason he came here in the—

Oh wait, never mind. He remembered now. Riven invited him. He was the one that Rias wanted to see.

'God damn it…' He mentally groaned.

"Well, I was hoping if you would accept serving me in my—" Riven waved at his sister, immediately catching her attention. "Yes, Riven?"

"Listen. I know that you want to make him your peerage and all, but there is a hypothesis that I wish to test with him. And it requires him to be free first," he explained. Several looks of curiosity were shot here and there, but his sister trusted him.

"Of course, Riven," she nodded, lovingly as she ever could. "Take as long as you need, alright?"

"S-Sure…" He nodded, shakily. He swapped his glance to the clock on the wall, eyebrows raised when it showed 6.30. "Wow, it's been late… I guess I should be going home then."

"B-B-But… I want to stay with you…" She whined, pulling off the puppy-eyes trick.

"I know, I know. We're staying away from each other, but I'll come back home one day. For now, I still want to remain in Assiah. Just for now, okay?" He smiled at her, able to reason with his sister, indicated by the sigh she released.

"Alright, fine… But make sure you come back in the end, alright? We all miss you very much," she pouted, cute as she could ever be. Issei had burned the picture in his mind forever.

"Of course, Rias-nii," he smiled back at her, laughing at the blush that popped up. "Come on, Tiamat."

She nodded at her liege, following suite after she gave a bow to everyone.

To think that they have finally met the brother of Rias Gremory. His name was forever burned into their minds, as he would leave a legacy.

The members of the Occult club felt relieved, now knowing that they had a powerful ally by their side. Well, powerful was lacking. It was way more, not even Sirzechs wanted to face off against him.

* * *

That Night—Unknown Place

 ***Final Fantasy XV—Cape Caem (Play Song)***

…What the..?

Riven could feel as if he had defied the very laws of gravity, feeling lighter than usual. He got off… What the?

"Why am I on a bed..?" He asked himself, surprised when he was wearing a strange outfit. "H-Huh?"

He moved to a mirror, taking a proper look at himself. His hair had grown slightly longer with more white streaks and black markings on his face. His outfit resembled that of a lord's, with a white cape having a red interior, a blue attire with metallic gauntlets, and a cravat. All in all, he looked cool.

"If only I could wear this outside of… wherever I am," he muttered under his breath, deciding to leave the room, that looked like a hotel's room.

Stepping out, he was greeted with a long corridor that stretched forwards, expensive vases of porcelain holding valuable flowers on either side. He walked forwards, nervous that there weren't anyone else here besides him.

The path too was not one to ignore. Polished to the point that he could see himself, it was probably built from fine marble, just as the walls and ceiling were. Chandeliers were often hanging above him, leaving a gap in between before another of the crystalline object hung.

"Damn, wherever I am, the person who owns this place must be one rich guy," he whistled to himself, not realising that the end of the corridor was close, until he could make out brown, oaken doors. "Welp, here goes nothing."

He stepped forth, placing his hand on the door's face, and pushed forwards.

*Creak!*

 ***Final Fantasy XV—Cape Caem (End Song)***

 ***Nights of Azure—Shallow Grave (Play Song)***

"What the…" How the corridor and the room he was once in displayed a strange amount of regal pride, this room too took to imitation. It was bright, possessing a hanging chandelier in the centre of it all, with the same vases in the corridor placed delicately—and to a good amount—here and there. Paintings adorned the expensive-looking walls, with ornate furniture and velvet smoke spewing from nowhere and becoming a thin layer on the ground. There was a desk below the chandelier, with a man sitting there, yet dark from some shadow. "H-Hello?"

"Quiet!" He yelped from a new voice, eyes landing on two identical girls wearing the same outfit—some sort of warden's outfit, with and eyepatch on either the left or right—standing on either side of another desk in front of him. "Sit down, inmate!"

Nodding silently, he seated himself, trying to make as little to no sound as possible. The girl on his right was scary enough. The girl on his left didn't say anything, which only made the whole situation creepier.

Though, were he given the chance to voice out his opinions, he would have admitted how comfy the chair was.

"Master, he is finally here," the girl on his left finally spoke.

"Hahaha… Truly now?" The man, where the shadow had covered him earlier, was now full to see. He was a strange-looking old man with a long nose that gave him the visage of a human Pinocchio, pointed ears and bulging, bloodshot eyes. The black suit and white gloves gave Riven the impression of a businessman. "So you are awake. Welcome to my Velvet Room."

"Velvet room..?" He muttered, soft so to not seem rude. "Wait a minute… I was in my room asleep. How did I..?"

"The you in reality is merely asleep. You are merely experiencing this as a dream," the girl on his left explained, answering his question.

"I… see," he nodded, sitting up straight. He, for some reason, could tell that if he had not done so, the one on his right would have probably yelled at him again.

"Welcome, prince. I am delighted to finally make your acquaintance," the man behind the desk spoke, settling the side of his chin on his fist. "This place we stand in now, is a world between dream and reality. Between mind and matter. It is a room that only permits those bound by a 'contract' to enter."

"Contract…" Riven repeated, still not getting the full understanding of the situation he was in.

"I am the master of this place, Igor. I ask that you remember it well," he tapped his free hand against the wood, that creepy smile miraculously still being held up despite it supposedly making his jaw sore by now.

"U-Understood…" The prince, though dressed like one, felt that, as he sat in this very room, he was what the girl on his right called him; a prisoner.

"I summoned you here not to bother you with trivial matters. I shall spare you of pointless chat. No. Rather, I have called you here due to important matters, which involves your life as well," the final words did it to fully attract the prince's attention, as he stood straighter than before, putting on all ears.

"What do you mean?" Riven asked, making sure not to overstep his boundaries, in case the girl on his right would hit him with her baton.

"I suppose you'd like to know. Still, it surprises me," Igor looked to his surroundings, the smile still not dissipating. "How this room appears reflects the state of your own heart. To think that a room befitting of a palace would appear as such."

"I… was constantly treated as some blue-blood, even by my family. I supposed I accepted it in the end," he admitted, still trying his best not to look away from the man's soul-piercing gaze.

"Hmm, an interesting remark. You truly are worthy of the title, as a 'prince'," he remarked, chuckling softly. It sounded dark, probably that it was his voice. "However, as I said before, I came here to inform you of the important matters aforementioned. You see, in the future, the world as you know it will be facing ruin."

"Ruin? What is it?" Riven asked, seemingly not liking the sound of things.

"I speak of the end to everything. Destruction, Ragnarok, end of the world, and many other things," he began, chuckling at the look of fear on the prince's face. "Tell me, prince. If there were a means to prevent such a fate, would you do so?"

"Of course. I will. It's my duty… as a prince, and as a person," the human-demon halfbreed nodded, sweating by the side of his head. "Please, sir, tell me. How do I prevent it?"

"It is simple. You must be 'rehabilitated'," rehabilitated? As in restored to health? "You must be rehabilitated toward freedom. With your rehabilitation, only then will you be able to avoid ruin."

"Rehabilitation…" The word sounded so foreign, so difficult to say, despite it just being English.

He was snapped out of his reverie when the girls from earlier, in perfect synchronisation, spun on their place to look at him.

"Ah yes, I forgot to introduce you to them. Forgive me for that," he sounded honest, despite looking very, very scary. "To your right is Caroline, and your left, Justine."

'I get it… Okay, Caroline's the girl who likes to shout, and she's on my right. Justine, almost silent, on my left. Got it,' he made a mental nod to himself.

"The both of them serve as wardens here," Igor pointed out, though Riven knew already. The outfit they wore were enough indication.

"Well, inmate, you can try and struggle as hard as you like. Nothing's getting you out of this one," Caroline huffed, the baton acting as a reminder that she would not be hesitant in dealing with him with violence.

"N-No, I promise, I won't… do anything of the sort…" He shook his head, visibly shrinking under her one-eyed stare.

"You need not worry, inmate. As wardens, we are tasked with protecting inmates. As such, you may consider us as your collaborators as well," Justine on his left told him. The last thing she mentioned, he didn't understand much. "That is, of course, if you remain obedient. Cross the boundaries, and we cannot promise you your safety."

'Wow, okay. This girl is not only creepy, she can be really good at threatening people. Okay,' thankfully the sweat-drop in his mind was unseeable to the girls, or to the man in the room. "Forgive me for asking, but will they—"

"We have names, inmate!" Caroline chided, rather loudly if he dared to add.

"…Will _Justine_ and _Caroline_ merely be watching over me each time I come here?" Riven asked. He felt as if there were some other reasons that they were here. Justine did call themselves his collaborators. To put it simply, they were, synonymously, his assistants.

"Ah, of course. Though, I cannot explain today, as our time today is cutting short," he sounded slightly disappointed, but still his grin remained. "No matter. The next time we meet, we shall talk even more. I implore you to take your time to understand this place. We shall meet again, you have my word…"

"W-Wait, there's no way—" A bell suddenly ran. From where, he couldn't tell. One thing he could say, was that it was loud.

"Time's up, inmate," the warden on his right, the scary one, spoke. "Now hurry up and go back to sleep!"

"W-What? How?" Riven asked, but the answer didn't come at all.

 ***Nights of Azure—Shallow Grave (Play Song)***

* * *

The Next Day

He had woken up by then.

"Gah..!" He woke up with a surge of adrenaline pumping through his being, sweat dripping down his body, cold. He took time to calm himself, but it was apparent enough that it wasn't working. He was too worked up on what he saw to even stay calm.

'W-What does he mean..?' He asked himself, still wondering if there really would be a chance for him to meet Igor. 'He came to me… because of my [Royal Arcana], I bet. He has the answers. I need to speak with him once more.'

 **'Mnggh… Riven, what are you thinking about..? You sound so serious…'** Eve moaned in his head, breaking the prince from his train of thoughts.

"Oh shoot, I can't tell her yet," he spoke out loud, knowing that it would take too much time just to explain things. And there were still details he didn't know. He returned to his mind. 'Sorry, Eve. Had a strange dream. Go back to sleep, alright?'

 **'Y-You know it…'** She began with a snort, and finally ended with her catching the z's. Riven sighed, grateful that he hadn't been caught yet.

"No matter, I'll find out soon enough. One way or another," he nodded to himself, getting himself in his bathroom early before calling Tiamat that it was her turn next.

But it took a full thirty minutes just for him to get her up. Tiamat does not do mornings well.

* * *

After school had ended, Tiamat had rushed off to the Occult clubroom to discuss something with Rias. Apparently, his sister had wanted to catch up on details through the dragoness, so he allowed her to go.

Riven was walking towards the gates of the academy, planning to just wait outside until Tiamat would get back. He whistled a lone tune to himself, looking out to the road to see that it was surprisingly quiet.

Though he looked calm on the outside, his mind was a battlefield.

'Damn it… So I can only meet Igor when I'm asleep?' That thought brought a frown to his face. 'Shoot… I'm scared that I won't get my answers quickly enough. I'm desperate by now.'

The thoughts of how his Longinus worked was still a large mystery. The suggestion of transferring a tarot card arcana to others to give them a sort of… To be honest, he didn't know, and that's why he had to know. It was killing him just to know. There were so many questions! So little answers! And this Igor was the key to it all!

'Igor…' His thoughts fell onto the other two girls as well. What would they help him with? 'And how do I actually go on my path to 'rehabilitation'? To avoid ruin… Ooh, I need to know!'

"W-Wait!" Suddenly he heard the voice of a girl call him. He looked to his left, and saw a fallen-in-disguise wearing a school uniform he had never seen before approaching him. "U-Um, excuse me… Are you Riven Hirokami?"

"Yes, that's me," he nodded in conformation. "How may I be of assistance?"

"Oh, thank goodness…" She sighed, happy. "Ah, sorry. I suppose I should be introducing myself. I'm Yuuma Amano."

"Ah, I see. It's a pleasure to meet you, Yuuma," he gave her a smile, surprised when it was her that blushed instead of him.

"A-Ah, yeah! Same here," she smiled, bashful, before her eyes met the concrete road. "Sorry, it's just…. Can I ask you a question?"

'I've seen this… In manga, anime and light novels. And as always, the leading genre is romance,' he gulped, bracing himself for what was to come. "Sure, go ahead."

"R-Right… Well, it's, ahhn…" Yuuma bit the inside of her cheek, looking unsure. If this was fake, then wow. She's a really good actor. "A-Are you currently seeing someone?"

"N-No, no. I'm still perfectly single," he admitted. 'No! Why did I just say that?! I should have said that I had a girlfriend and be done with it! But _no_ , Riven! You had to be honest!'

That was just how he was.

"R-Really? I see! W-Well, it's just…" While this may have very well been an act, or something from a cheesy romance drama, there was nothing in the worlds that could truly keep his heart steeled in the face of someone that, even if fake, confessed to them.

 _"I love you! Please go out with me!"_


	11. Chapter 10

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

"For him, it was easy." - Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!*- Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 10: A Lovey-Dovey=-

"I love you! Please go out with me!" She cried out, instantly lowering himself into a bowing position, face and bright blush overshadowed by her hair that flowed down from her head, dangling straight and silky smooth. She remained there, waiting for his response.

He said nothing. Just great. He took some time to register her words.

And when it finally clicked in him, he snapped!

"W-What? What? What? What?!" Riven blinked in disbelief, a bit too much actually. Obviously, that would've been the most probable reaction of anyone who's asked to be someone else's date from out of nowhere.

"L-Like I said Riven, I… I want you to go out with me!" Yuuma, now standing at her full height, stood her ground, her face clearly flushed.

"I-I don't know! It was just so… so… _random_!" He acted as if he had been blown by a great amount of wind. "It's just, shocking, Yuuma! This is way too sudden!"

"I-I know, but…" She twirled her hair in her fingers, seemingly trying to find the words she needed.

"Yuuma, I'm so sorry, but I can't be your boyfriend. I just… can't…" He shifted his gaze to the ground, ready to walk away, until she gripped his hand.

"W-Wait, Riven! I know it's so sudden, but please! Give me a chance!" She practically begged, slapping her hands together as she gave her… Ah, damn it! It's the god damed puppy eyes trick again!

"B-But…" The prince felt a surge of embarrassment washing over him, later turned into a snap of confusion. 'Wait a second, could she be…'

A thought entered his mind. What if… What if she came here, to confess to him, just to take his life somewhere? Maybe, just maybe, it could be it.

It has to be it! There was no other explanation! She was a hitman, sent here to kill him when he least expected it. He was her _target_. It made sense.

But then again, why was he being so paranoid? Was it because he had never been on a romantic relationship with anyone, that he just had a fear of falling in love? He wanted to know what it was like, but if he was going to push her away, then maybe the chance to really feel it would just… slip from his hands.

'No… No, there must be something behind all this,' he was beginning to think like a detective. Damn it, Sherlock. 'I'll have to play self-underestimating to really get deep in this little puzzle.'

He had his cards all laid out now. He would play the guilty person, constantly trying to make her reconsider. Maybe, maybe then, she would change her mind. And he'd be able to pry the real reason she came here, to 'confess' to him.

He had his game, prompting him to adopt a guilty look. He had to make this sound and look as convincing as much as he could if he wanted to get past her possibly misleading role.

"…But, why me though? I'm just a random person who had recently just transferred here yesterday. There's way better boys out there, Yuuma," he began, putting his tone down and soft to really get the crack on her.

"Really? 'Cause if you ask me who, I'd say I've already found that person already. I like you just as you are either way, Riven-kun," Yuuma giggled.

"B-But… I'm not a talented person at all. I perform horribly in my academics," big fat lie. "I don't think of myself rather sociable," another big fat lie. "And I don't even have friends. No one finds me enjoyable to be with."

Tell that to his freaking fan club. Yes, he already has one, in a day.

"Riven… It's okay even if you are any of those things. I'll just stand by your side then," she smiled, her words sounding so honest, yet he couldn't help himself feeling as if he were being tricked right now.

"I-I… What if I can't protect you?" At his words, she blinked back. 'Bingo,' he caught the fish, he thought. "A boyfriend has to be capable of defending his girlfriend. I… don't think I could ever do that. I'd fail horribly at that."

"Riven…" She frowned a bit, before a cute little grin surfaced. "I wouldn't mind."

'Of course you—Hang on, what?' The boy blinked, not fully comprehending what he had just heard. "Wait, what?"

"Silly! You think a bit too much! People say that having a girlfriend may be a lot of responsibility, but you don't have to go that far!" She giggled, wiping away the tear of laughter from her eye. "It's alright. You don't have to protect me. Instead, let's protect each other."

Each other… Oh damn, she wasn't kidding at all. There was no way someone who was sent to take him out could have managed these sort of responses. They were too normal, too human. Too…

'Too full of emotion,' he finished, blush forming on his own skin, portraying his surprise and embarrassment in response to her words. "Y-You really don't mind..?"

"Of course!" She nodded, happy smile plastered on her face. "I don't mind if you're popular or not. I don't mind it if people don't like you. They're probably just jealous of you. And it's okay if you can't protect me. Like I said, we'll keep each other's backs safe. I personally think that you're amazing. And I like you just as who you are, even if the world stands against you."

"I-I see…" He couldn't deny the butterflies in his belly, sheepishly smiling as he averted his gaze away from her. "That's pretty surprising for me… Thanks."

"I just said what was real, Riven-kun!" She tittered back, before adopting a shy look. "S-So, will you..?"

"I-I…" He paused, trying to get his bearings. He almost fainted there and then. He was taking the first steps to a beautiful path of love. "I… I accept, Yuuma. I'll be your b-b-boyfriend.

"R-Really?" Her eyes shifted to stars, hopeful and ecstatic, before she started bursting into a giggling fit when he gave her a good nod. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

And it was much thanks that he didn't fall over when she suddenly jumped at him, pulling him into a tight hug.

'Yup, I am officially screwed…' He sweat-dropped, not because he was being hugged by this beautiful fallen angel, or that he realised the fact that they were in the open.

It was the fact that he was being hugged by his beautiful fallen angel, and it was because they out in the open, and that they were currently being watched by a horde of students from Kuoh Academy, with the Occult club, Tiamat and Issei part of the crowd.

'I am _so_ getting killed back at home…' He smiled at them, shakily.

* * *

Evening—Riven's Home

It was hard.

After everything was settled, with Yuuma going home, he was basically bombarded with all sorts of questions from his sister, Familiar and friends.

Rias looked like she was going to burst, Issei was as jealous as any other guys who didn't get the girl, Tiamat had a deathly look in her eyes—he knew that look; it was one she gave towards her prey—and Koneko was surprisingly disturbed by this.

Everyone else shared an amount of surprise, but not as much as these four.

Once he got back home, he had to break the news to his parents.

 **"So a fallen angel came over and confessed her love to out of the blue?"** Satan whistled, dipping his head low in shame. **"Why didn't that happen to me..?"**

"So I'm not good enough for you," Yuri chided, her husband perking right back up to apologise, but she had began talking to Riven. "So you said 'yes', and you had a sort of suspicion?"

"Yeah… I was wondering why a fallen wanted to be my girlfriend, of all things. I was wondering if there was some sort of plan behind all of this, but maybe it was just me being paranoid," he hummed in thought. "In any case, I suppose that everything is fine for now, don't worry."

 **"Hey kid, make sure that you don't let your guard down, right?"** He warned, earning a firm nod from his son. **"Good… Also, when is your date?"**

"She wanted it to be two days from now, a Saturday," he informed, taking a look at the clock on the wall. "I'll need to get a gift for her by then…"

"Maybe an accessory? Girls love those sort of things," his mother suggested. "A necklace, earrings, brooch? Oh, get her a necklace!"

"A necklace, huh?" He pondered on the thought, before a smile slowly etched on his face. "Yeah, that'll work. Thanks, mother!"

"Anytime," she smiled, kissing her son on his forehead and watching him as he rushed upstairs, possibly to go to sleep.

He had other plans.

Sure, he really was planning to fall asleep, but not to get up early the next day.

"Igor…" He whispered, thankful that Tiamat was currently in the bathroom. "You better give me the answers I need…"

He settled himself in his nightclothes, getting into bed after drinking a warm cup of chamomile tea. It helped someone to sleep easier, which was what he needed.

"Well, no time like now…" He sighed, punching his pillow once before comfortably laying his head on it. He screwed his eyes shut, chanting nonstop. "Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep…"

And night came forth.

* * *

That Night—Velvet Room

Waking up, he realised now that he was in the same room as he first appeared, dressed in the same sort of outfit.

"I may be a prince, but those two treat me like a prisoner. What the heck..?" He chuckled at the thought, deciding to truly find out what everything means.

He left the room, walking down the same corridor, not even sparing a glance around him. His focus was solely on the Velvet Room, which was just a little bit more to the front.

Reaching the door, he twisted the knob, and entered.

 ***Rune Factory 4—Obsidian Mansion (Play Song)***

"So you're here," Justine, on his left, spoke. Her soft tone was just as calm as ever. "Well, take a seat."

Nodding silently, he sat on the same chair as always, awaiting the master of the room to speak.

"First off, let us celebrate our reunion," Igor began, his eyes still bloodshot, and his smile still the same. "It seems that you've awakened to your powers long before we have even made contact. Truly, you are someone special indeed."

"I don't know… Those monsters came, and I had to do something. My father, Satan, gave me the Kurikara. I unleashed it, and the dragon in my SacredGear made me do a sort of… vow, I think," Riven began recounting, making sure not to leave any of the details. "It was something like 'I am thou, thou art I'. After that, I gained my demonic form, tails and all, and wore a new outfit. I even have a mask."

"I see. It is safe to say that your weapons are directly linked to your SacredGear then," Igor nodded in understanding, looking more interested.

"That's what I believed as well. My SacredGear only activated when I unsheathe Kurikara, apparently," he had thought it strange, but came to accept it in the end. "Is it possible for me to activate my SacredGear without needing to wield Kurikara? It would be useful if possible."

"It seems not. When you made the contract with your dragon, your sword was unsheathed, no?" At the man's question, he received a nod. "Then it is as that. There is no possible way to wield your special power without wielding the blade. Though, I suppose we could make it do so if you so wish."

"I see…" He nodded, until another thought came to mind. "Master Igor, is it possible if I could truly make my weapons become part of my SacredGear? That way, I don't have to keep it separately. I merely have to activate my SacredGear if I want to wield my swords."

"Hmm… It is possible, though I wonder why you want it to be so?" The boy before him was interesting. Though he was a prince, he was talking to him as if he were on a lower level.

"It's because it would be so much more efficient for me," he admitted. "Say, by chance, that a situation comes when I can't wield Kurikara, then I will not be able to tap into the power of my SacredGear. It would undoubtedly put me at a loss. No… Instead, I wish it so that I can activate my SacredGear when I will it to, then I can merely materialise my weapons when I wish to."

"An interesting food for thought, and I am willing to help you accomplish this," Igor chuckled. "But do know that you will not be able to wield your weapons anymore, unless you activate your Persona."

"Of course, I—Wait, Persona?" The prince blinked.

"Personas are, to put it simply, a 'mask'—an armour for the heart when you are confronting worldly matters," the cryptic message was not truly comprehended. "The dragon that is part of your SacredGear is your Persona."

"What? Eve is my Persona?" Riven asked once more, earning himself a nod from the master of the room. "I see… But she is her own being. She was a separate entity, before she merged herself with my SacredGear. Does that still..?"

"The SacredGear, based on what I've read before, is a weapon fused in your soul. It is a part of it," Igor never ceased to impress, apparently. So much knowledge. "As such, when the dragon sealed herself within your SacredGear, she became part of your soul, thus becoming your Persona in the process."

"O-Okay…" The human-demon halfbreed nodded, still a tad bit confused.

"Very well then, let us begin with your request," Igor took a paper from the stack beside him, writing something on it with the quill dipped in ink, before handing it to Justine. She, in turn, gave it to Riven. "This is all there is. It is a contract for you to truly bind your weapons to the SacredGear, thus making it whole. You need only sign it if you truly accept it."

Riven took a time to skim through the papers, containing exactly everything as he wished it to be. Ascalon, Gram and Kurikara would be sealed within [Royal Arcana], and can only be wielded once he activated his SacredGear. When he activates [Royal Arcana], he would instantly turn into his demonic form, so that meant Kurikara would have no use other than acting as his weapon. Eve was his Persona, apparently, but given the free will to talk to him. There was also something strange detailed about [Royal Arcana]…

"Master Igor," he raised his eyes from the paper to look at the man. "It is stated here that I have something called the 'Wild Card'..? I'd like to know what it means."

"You need not worry about that for the time being. You'll come to understand it," Igor spoke, resulting in the prince sweat-dropping.

"Alright… And, there's one more request I have," the master of the Velvet Room perked up once more. "I was thinking, considering that I can form a peerage of sorts, I was wondering if I could form a contract with those I wish so that they could join my peerage. I was thinking of the term 'arcana', and…"

"Aah, you are referring to tarot cards, possibly?" At his question, Riven gave a nod. "Indeed. Unlike devils who use the chess system, so to speak, and angels who use cards, you are a bit of a mystery. You do not have a set of 'Mutation Pieces' or… I'm not certain what angels use, so it's hard for you to truly register someone into your peerage."

"I see… So is it impossible to do so?" Truth be told, he wanted to at least know what it would be like. Rias had her own peerage, so does this mean he can't?

"I never did say that," Igor chuckled, switching his legs' positions. "Instead, you can form contracts, as you mentioned previously, with them to make them your own."

"But what roles would they have?" Riven asked, feeling a sense of hope. "Chess has things like pawns and queens, and cards have those like jack and joker, so what would mine be?"

"It depends on the tarot cards," immediately, pictures of a devil, a tower and other things came to mind. "Nonetheless, I shall bestow upon you that ability, only after you've signed the current contract."

"Ah, right," though the prince was curious about the 'Wild Card' thing, he'd let it pass for now. He signed it, passing it to Justine, who gave it back to her master.

"Our master is being very generous to satisfy your every whims. You'd better be grateful!" Caroline chided, as loud as ever.

"Of course. It means much to me that he's helping me," he smiled at the girl, before looking to the master of the room, a guilty expression adopted. "If only I could repay you back somehow, sir…"

"Ahaha, you need not worry yourself with that. The only payment I expect from you, is that our bonds continue to strengthen, and that your rehabilitation will continue on," he chuckled, watching as Riven take another contract from Justine.

Riven wasted no time in reading the contract, and it was just as he thought. With this, he would be able to form contracts with those he chooses, making them part of his peerage. This would assign them roles such as the tarot cards, instead of those like chess. Truth be told, he was kinda' scared, as this would be the first thing to ever exist, but he supposed it had to start somewhere.

There were all sorts of tarot cards that he had read on. The Chariot, Devil, Empress, and the one that had him curious about was the Fool. Zero, yet holding infinite potential.

'That sounds cool…' He thought with a smile, continuing to read the contract. He took the quill on his own table, signing his name below, and handing it to Justine, passed back to Igor.

"So, are you prepared, prince? To walk down the path of rehabilitation?" Igor asked, keeping his smile up.

"Of course. I was prepared for it long when I signed those contracts," he nodded, earning himself a chuckle.

"Very well. Then let us forge our own contracts, here and now," the prince's eyes shot forth in surprise. "No need to fret. I will not be fighting as part of your peerage. I will merely be offering you assistance as time goes on."

"O-Oh, alright," he nodded, calmed down when he got the man's explanation. 'I could never imagine Igor fighting with a sword, or… whatever he would use.'

"It is simple. You will continue on your path to rehabilitation, and I will offer you the benefits of the Velvet Room, as well as my own assistance so to help you grow into a better prince," his words sounded tempting, and Riven was ready to accept. "Do you accept?"

"I-I…" Riven blinked, lacking any words to say. "It's just… strange, is all."

"Yet it is necessary. You should be prepared to use even myself, or your ambitions will not come to fruition," the prince swore that he had heard him say this phrase before, or it could just be his own silly mistake. "Hahaha… We have a deal then."

* * *

*Khh!*

I am **thou** , thou art I…  
Thou hast acquired a **new** vow.

It shall **become** the wings of rebellion that **breaketh** thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the **Fool** Persona,  
I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new **power** …

* * *

"W-Whoa…" Riven could hear the voice of a woman, later on followed with the surge of power into his cross-earring, which had only materialised now. The light that shone from it died down after a while, leaving it as normal as before. "So the contract…"

"Is done," Igor nodded. "I have high expectations for you, prince."

"Words of praise from our master is truly rare indeed. Take them to heart, inmate," Justine spoke, surprisingly sounding calm despite it supposedly being a big thing.

"Well, the night is waning, and you would soon need to return to reality. No need to worry about what we've discussed about. The contracts will act as soon as you wake up," Igor continued to smile. Oh, fudge, he looked scary… "With each of these, I have no doubts that they will help you grow as a prince. Well then, may we meet again in the future, prince."

 ***Rune Factory 4—Obsidian Mansion (End Song)***

* * *

Two Days Later

 **"So technically speaking, I'm your Persona?"** Eve asked, sounding a little happy. **"Man, I like the name! Persona, Persona…"**

"Well, it still doesn't answer the question of the 'Wild Card', but at least you're happy," he smiled, chuckling when she continued to repeat the word 'Persona'.

Anyways, Riven was currently preparing to go for the date with Yuuma. He had received funds from his family, which Tiamat was fine with him using for the date. Although, he could've sworn he saw her left eye twitch.

"Alright… Done!" He fixed finish wrapping his gift in black box, complete with pink ribbons. "Time to put this away for now."

Riven was currently adorned in a long-sleeved black t-shirt that shifted to white at the bottom part, with black trousers. He put on his glasses, checking his hair in the mirror. His black sneakers were outside, and he'd wear that later on.

"Eve, mind helping me out later on?" He asked.

 **"Of course! You can count on me!"** The dragoness cheered out in excited determination. This earned them a smile from Riven, and as he left for the door of the house, he gave his parents a quick kiss on the cheek, a good wave and out he went. His gift was in his left pocket, well wrapped and concealed, just for a surprise.

* * *

Mall

With much time spent wandering around in Japan, he had gained a fair mapping of the place, happy with the fact that he now knew how to get around the place.

 **'You know, I can't help but feel that you're more excited about using [Royal Arcana] more than this date of yours,'** Eve giggled, a straight hit on the bullseye.

'Well yeah! It's so strange! And Igor was right, I can't wield my weapons anymore. But it's okay! It's just easier for me now! All I have to do, is activate [Royal Arcana], and I'm ready for action!' He grinned in his mind, pushing the spectacles up to fit properly on his nose.

Truth be told, he liked it. It gave him the look of someone studious. Well, he was hoping not to gain attention on himself today, so it was like a perfect mask in the public.

'Mask… I wonder why I wear a mask when I activate [Royal Arcana],' he thought to himself. It was a black mask that looked close to a mask of a certain princess he knew, when she was hiding her identity and acting as a male, but was black instead of blue. 'Oh well, I don't mind it. It's cool-looking.'

For now, Riven had time to spare. Yuuma was running late, it seems, but he couldn't blame her. The trains were possibly slow, for reasons he doesn't really know.

"Perhaps I could have gotten my hair cut a bit," he pondered, realising that his hair was now flowing just above his shoulders, possibly chin-length. "Then again… It doesn't mean I'm a girl or anything. People still recognise me as a boy, so it should be fine."

He, to be honest, liked his hair just as much as everyone else did. It was surprisingly soft, silky even. It wasn't long, so he didn't have to worry about getting his comb tangled up in it. It was fully black, but every of his bangs had now been left white. He supposed it fine, since the white hair could be his own father's fur.

But his time to think to himself finally ended when the fallen arrived.

"Riven-kun!" a cute voice called out for Riven, and he turned to look to the source of the voice, now seeing Yuuma's figure in his peripherals.

"Ah, Yuuma-chan! Good to see you're alright and well," he smiled at the girl, watching as she stopped before him, panting slightly. "You were running?"

"W-Well, yeah…. The trains were running late, apparently. Something about faulty railways," she told him.

He supposed it makes sense. Putting the principles of friction to thought, constant use of the trains would slowly wear out the rails, causing it to grow weak and possibly break, thus needing attention. The fact that she was late only solidified her excuse. There must have been maintenance.

"Well, it's alright. As long as you're here," he chuckled.

"Mmhm! And hey, the glasses look nice on you!" The girl complimented, earning herself an embarrassed chuckle from the boy, as his face turned a few shades of red.

"Well, it's alright, at least," he shrugged, averting his gaze from her.

"Then, what do you think of my dress?" She asked, giving a light twirl.

She looked absolutely amazing, he couldn't lie. She was wearing a soft white sweater over a black top, with a similarly white skirt that only ran above her knees. The pink heels she wore only made her look cuter, for some reason. Her hair straight, flowing down to her back.

"W-Well… Words wouldn't be enough, unfortunately," he scratched the nape of his neck, uncertain of what to say. The blush on her face was a huge reliever for him.

"Aww, thank you, Riven-kun!" She giggled, before she looked back at him. "So, where are we going for today?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Go shopping, go get something to eat, play some games, and… I don't know," he admitted. The last part, he obviously didn't know. "I hadn't planned ahead beyond that."

"Oh well, we'll think about it along the way!" She smiled at her 'date', and so they began walking to their destination; the mall.

'Tch! This is going to be a long day…' The fallen thought in disgust, before eyeing her 'date' with a little bloom. 'Well, to be honest, he is a little… handsome. And to think he managed to think that much, he sure really knows his stu—Urgh! Damn it, focus! You're just gonna' kill this loser and be done with stupid date!'

* * *

Later

So, they didn't really do any shopping. The funds he had were mostly enough for the food and games. And so, they went to an arcade first to play some games. Riven was literally acing every available game, ultimately proving himself to be the best gamer, despite his protests. Yuuma actually discovered that trait of him that day.

'Never play a game with him, you'll just lose…' she made a mental note to herself, sweat-dropping when he managed to nab himself a Pikachu plush, size not as large as the other ones. She accepted it with an honest smile. She had been dying to get her hands on this plush.

Pikachu is cute, after all!

Next, they went to a nearby cafe to get something to eat. Riven decided to take a simple toast whereas Yuuma got a strawberry cake. For a fake date, she was enjoying it, the more after hearing that Riven was ok with paying for everything.

"Mmm! This is delicious~!" She hummed as she felt the taste of strawberries flood her tastebuds, accompanying the taste of the fruits with honey. She saw how Riven smiled at her, forcing her to look away from him. 'W-What the hell was that..?!'

"Sorry if I couldn't get you anything more," he apologised, eyes taking a turn to the table with slight disappointment, before he flashed a smile at her once more. "I hope this is enough."

"Trust me, it's nice!" She lied; it was _way too nice_. She never knew the same foolish beings called humans were able to create such delicious treats. Even the Fallen back at home couldn't achieve these results.

Unfortunately for her, she only knew half of who he really was. Based on the reports, he was a human whose mother had 'divorced', and they took in a pet… wolf. Yes, the reports she had read sounded weird, but she decided to believe it nonetheless. Then he had a sister, Tiamat.

If only she knew that the wolf was actually his father, that the 'sister' was actually his Familiar, and that he wasn't just human. His demonic blood came from the wolf, after all.

"Well, if you say so. I just wished I could've gotten you something too," he muttered the last part, loud enough so that only the two of them were the only ones able to hear.

"You don't have to blame yourself for anything," she shook her head, spooning a bit of the cake before putting it in her mouth. "You've been patient with me, this feels great!"

"Funny. You took the words right out of my mind," he jested, chuckling together as the Fallen joined in.

'Urgh, so bothersome… Why can't I just kill him already?' She mentally grimaced, already feeling the boredom catching up. 'Oh well. At least the food tastes great.'

* * *

Later

After their 'lunch', the pair got to the town's square, trying to stick together due to the massive amount of people in the area.

"Amazing… To think that there's so many people here," Riven wondered out loud, whistling when he saw a kid skating down the stair's handles. 'Skills…'

"Must be a break from work or something," Yuuma said, with her 'date' humming in response. 'Jeez, what the hell is going to happen next? Him trying to kiss me? Urgh, if he even tries it, I'll—"

*Bang!*

"HYAAH!" The people in the area immediately broke into a scream, lowering themselves into crouching positions to get themselves as close to the ground as they could.

Yuuma flinched from the sound of gunshot that rung through the area. Riven sniffed the area, pinpointing the culprit's position from the smoke, by tracing it all the way to the gun.

"Yeah, just like that, you cowards!" The culprit was a tall man that wore an outfit that resembled a cowboy's, as he held a revolver in his right. "Why not just hand me your money, eh?! If not—"

*Bang! Bang!*

He shot his gun upwards into the blank air twice, eliciting even more screams from the cowering crowd. He snickered, ready to make his way towards a young teenager, before Riven stood in his way.

'It's just like before… Before Beelzebub took over his body…' The prince thought, before speaking. "Sir, please don't do this…" He requested, frowning when the man scoffed in response.

"And why should I listen to a weakling like you?" He spat, now pointing his gun at the lad. "You're not strong, so get out of the way. Unless, you'd want to be the first person to taste my gun's bullet?"

So this person she was supposed to kill was a mad person.

Directly standing in front of the man, who was pointing his gun straight at his chest. He didn't move, and didn't seem to be afraid. If anything, he looked… calm?

'How in the seven Hells is he able to stay calm? He's about to die!' She mentally thought, surprised all the same. 'Oh well, it'd make my job easier, I suppose.'

*Click!*

"Move, kid," the man instructed as he pulled the barrel backwards with his thumb, gun still directed towards the prince.

"…I guess I have no choice…" Riven sighed, sounding disappointed, before he positioned himself into a stance. "Please, don't take this personally."

"Yeah, good luck even getting a hit on me!" The man mocked, instantly firing off his weapon. And yet—

*Bang!* *Whoo!*

"What the..?!" The man watched as his bullet whizzed through the air, not hitting its target. Riven did a sidestep, eyes now focused solely on him. "B-Bastard!"

More and more did he pull the trigger of his revolver, and even more did his trepidation grow when his bullets met no body, but rather flew through the air in a straight line.

Riven could sense and determine the trajectory of the bullets, putting his agility and skills to use as he dodged each attack. He flipped once, rolling a moment later and doing a side-step to dodge each bullets.

And then, he crouched, breaking into a full run towards the man, whose expression took a turn for the fear. He pulled—

*Kk!*

"H-Hhaa..!" The clip was empty.

Using it to his advantage, Riven let loose a flurry of blows towards the man as he dodged his opponent's own puny strikes.

The prince dealt a side smack, an uppercut, multiple blows to the abdomen, avoiding a roundhouse punch aimed for his face. He dealt another jab to the jaw, a powerful blow to his face, and to finish it—

*Thud!*

A back kick that held so much force that sent the man tumbling backwards until he hit the wall, bloodied slightly and bruised beyond recognition. The gun was kicked far away, sliding off into the hands of a child.

"W-What the hell..?" The man spoke, only to faint afterwards.

"Kid," Riven called to the child that took the gun. "Make sure that goes to the police, alright?" The child merely nodded silently, receiving a grateful smile from the prince.

"Amazing…" Was the only thing she could say.

* * *

Evening

After that little incident, Riven had found himself slightly exhausted, but otherwise good to go. He bought himself and Yuuma bottles of water, instantly rehydrating himself to replace all that water that was lost after his sweating from the heated battle.

She couldn't lie; he looked amazing back there. The way he effortlessly dodged every of the enemy's attacks, all the while landing his own to finally down the man.

Touching her left breast, she noticed how fast her heart was beating now—a blush formed on her face. Was… Was this infatuation? No way! She was here to kill him! Not fall in love with him! And yet, no matter how much she wanted to admit it, she had somehow fallen for him.

Hah, fallen. Get it?

And yet, despite her heart's yearning, she had to focus on her mission. And so, she walked over to Riven's side and began. She steeled her heart, locking away her emotions, ready to end her mission.

"Neh, Riven-kun?" Yuuma asked, flashing a cute little smile at her 'boyfriend'. "You'd do anything for me, right?"

"Sure, why not?" Riven replied while rubbing his chin in thought, not even looking into her eyes.

'Hmph, of course you'd say that. Just like every other humans I've met before,' she thought, much hatred present in her thoughts. Every human she had met before either wanted to take advantage of her, or either despise her for being different.

And could you really blame her on those? Humans were easy to fall down to the sin of lust, and would do anything to get the pleasures of life. And the second reason; humans were either scared or hated anything that was not them. Aliens, supernatural, ghosts… Being looked down on as inferior was always the race's weakness, so that was that.

"Well then," she began, eyes glinting with slight maliciousness. "Do you think you could d—"

"Oh God, I forgot! Argh, how could I have—Damn it!" He began sweating bullets, cutting off the Fallen before she managed to finish her statement. "I'm so sorry! But—Argh, I'm so useless at things like this!"

"Excuse me..?" Yuuma blinked, and her tone had shifted unnaturally. Rather, it sounded much more mature than her previous one. Even then, Riven never noticed the shift due to how he was literally screaming at himself.

"I'm really sorry! I was so focused on the battle that I forgot to gi—Hey!" Just as quickly as Riven was to pull out a black box, so were a group of children to snatch it from him, mischievous smiles etched on all their features.

"You want it, mister? You're gonna' need to catch us then!" One of the little kids laughed, running away as his friends trailed right after them.

"Oh, come on!" Yup, things weren't looking great for him. This was really not part of his script. Despite that, he placed back his glasses into its case that he brought with him this whole time, putting it away into his pocket before giving chase to the kid, calling out in a tone that resembled pleading.

"Oh, great… Missed my chance…" the fallen muttered, later on deciding to follow after her target. The next thing she could see was Riven begging the kids they met earlier for his 'box'.

"Please! I need it back!" the prince pleaded, trying to take it from their hands, but the kids were being a total pain. "Come on, now's not the time for games!"

A sixteen-year-old being made fun of by those whose age was eight to ten in the human calendar. Just amazing.

"Nope! If you want it, well—" the boy quickly flung his arm upwards, and Riven followed suit, accompanied by a groan from the prince and a smirk from the kid. "You're gonna' have to climb up!"

'Son of a—Dang it!' The prince sighed, but didn't want to waste his time.

Riven spared no time getting up. He jumped from branch to branch, easily reaching the tree top. He had had to, however, avoid a beehive for one was close and he wasn't exactly wanting to disturb them, let it be they were sleeping or working. After reaching the top, Riven searched for his black 'box', and upon finding it, he pocketed it and slowly climbed back down. The kids were seemingly impressed, as they watched Riven in awe.

The kids immediately ran off, waving to the prince and shouting their 'Sorries'. As they did, Yuuma just continued wondering of how fit her date really was. Upon seeing him approach her, she broke out of her thoughts.

"Riven, what's this?" She asked, her tone serious and mature, and yet it passed through Riven's ears—in through one and out through the other, as the saying goes.

"Sorry, sorry. I honestly didn't know that was gonna' happen…" the prince chuckled sheepishly, then proceeded to pass the Fallen the box he so desperately tried to get back. "It's a gift I got for you with half of my total allowance. Err, I mean the money my parents gave me."

That blew her away, she wasn't expecting this! She was being given a present? This was too good to be true. She carefully took the box, and was hesitant to open it. Could it be a trap? Probably a bomb? An insect? All these thoughts clouded her mind, until she finally removed the cover from the box.

And what she saw was everything she never expecting, nearly forcing her to tear up.

 ***Final Fantasy XIII—The Promise (Play Song)***

The content of the black box Riven gave the Fallen was a dragon bracelet. It looked as if the dragon shaped itself into a loop, with its jaw bit on it's tail. In it's jaw, before the part where its teeth hooked onto the tail's hole, was a red gem that shone like a fresh oyster; completely new and cleaned.

Yuuma gasped at seeing such a beautiful gift; she was trembling, albeit only a bit. Riven gave off a smile, asking her to wear it.

"Come on, this thing ain't going anywhere without its new owner, ya' know," he said and helped Yuuma wear the accessory, after her two previous attempts, where she kept on nearly dropping it. She looked at the treasure that she wore around her wrist, its gem reflecting the light that hit it.

Why… Why did he get her this? So many thoughts, but nothing could properly be processed as of the moment.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Yuuma, literally meaning 'evening daze'. Mmhm! Suitable for this sort of timing!" He grinned in triumph, proceeding to fold his arms behind his head. "Although it wasn't a real date, knowing that someone probably dared you into doing this, but hey! Who cares? It was fun, so that was that!"

Riven gave a shrug at the end of his statement, but Yuuma managed to pick up a certain phrase he said; dared you. She started pondering at first, while Riven had gotten off track of his explaining, going from the evening to the bracelet and then to the 'Big Bang' theory… Yeah, weird indeed.

"R-Riven?" this caught the prince's attention and he looked straight into her eyes, something he noticed about them was that they were glassy, slightly wet from fresh tears that threatened to leak. "What do you mean by dare?"

Just as she had said it, Riven gave a sad smile and looked away, scratching the back of his neck nervously. All the confidence just disappeared, now replaced with a nervous aura. He couldn't lie; he meant what he said earlier. No doubt that it pained him to explain himself, but he had no reason to hide it now.

"W-Well Yuuma, it's like what I said when we first met. I'm really just a nobody. I have what others think is talent, but really… its just dumb. I used these talents not to earn money, honest. I've been using my talents all this time to get people to at least know that I exist," Riven's answer forced her eyes wide apart with surprise, as she watched him walk towards the fountain, and looked up to the dark red sky.

The wind picked up, adding a little bit more effect to this dramatic scene.

"All I wanted was for people to actually accept me as a person, but some don't know who I am. Obviously, I'm a nobody," he recalled the way he was treated back at the orphanage, blinking away the tears that bit his eyes. "And I just thought that some of your friends forced you into dating me, even when you didn't want to. But still, I guess as long as you were happy, that was more than enough."

 **'Wow, Riven. You're good at this acting thing,'** the black dragoness in his SacredGear whistled, somewhat amazed.

'Ehh, it's okay, at most,' he replied with a mental shrug. Still, the part about the orphanage, he was being honest. Opening up to her about this part was difficult, but he deemed it necessary to break down her barriers.

"Y-You thought all this time, I was playing a trick on you?" Yuuma gasped, her mouth covered by her hands.

"No offence, but yeah," Riven looked to Yuuma, and slowly nodded.

"B-But you still did all this? Why!" Yuuma was on the verge of breaking down, her outburst completely unexpected, even by her.

"Because I don't want to hurt others when they're with me. Being with me, life will never be a good one, so I always try my best to give a smile, even in the harshest of times," the prince chuckled. "So I'm glad. Glad that I used my energy to have fun with an amazing person like you. Yuuma Amano, I thank you for opening my eyes, and I was hoping… We don't need to love each other, I just hope we can just be friends."

He bowed, eyes closed as he waited for her response. Was he really prepared for rejection or death? No doubt, he was. He'd feel hurt at first for the first thing, but he'd just have to pull through. And the second part; he'll just have to make sure he never gets noticed ever again.

The trees rustled in the dancing wind, and animated birds decorated the sky. Riven still stood at his spot, still bowing. Yuuma stood there however, staring at the boy in awe and admiration, tears slowly dropping down her cheeks. Riven rose to stand up again, but immediately became frantic when seeing her tears.

"O-Oh wait! I'm sorry! I swear I didn't mean to make you feel bad! Really, I—" he would've continued spitting words out of his lips had Yuuma not embraced the prince, her arms behind his neck. "Y-Yuuma?"

"Thank you, Riven…" the fallen said, her face in the prince's chest, her tears seeping into his clothes. 'I-I can't do it. I've actually…'

"R-Right, no problem..?" Riven was hesitant, but proceeded to return the Fallen's hug anyways. 'Oh shoot, this wasn't part of the plan!'

'It seems you have succeeded in making another girl falling in love with you!' Eve's voice resounded in Riven's mind, hinted with joy and pride.

'W-What?!' The prince looked down to the girl below her, but couldn't help feel a curve at the corner of his lips accompanied by a slight blush to his cheeks. 'Well, I'd be lying if I said this wasn't ni—'

 ***Final Fantasy XIII—The Promise (End Song)***

*Zing!*

The sound of a blade of electric could be heard throughout the park, accompanied by the massive bleeding of a certain dragon prince.

You heard me there, Riven just got cut in the back. Immediately, he fell out of Yuuma's embrace and fell to the ground below. The fallen could only watch in horror as her beloved got cut down.

"Haha! Looks like that's one problem down! Come on, let's get—" The stranger paused before looking to the TriWings below him. "Hmm? You're still alive."

"Z-Zacharias! What the hell are you doing?!" Yuuma shouted, horrified and beyond pissed off at the same time. The man who slain Riven was Zacharias, another fallen angel.

He wore a black suit, completed with a white shirt underneath and a blue tie that sealed the deal. His boots, brown, went surprisingly well with his black pants. In his hand was a sword made purely from yellow thunder, cackling like a madman that its wielder was.

"Haha! I helped you from the human, of course! I finished your job for you!" Zacharias cackled even louder, relishing in the pained look on the prince's face. "Aww, does it hurt? How does it feel, little guy?"

"Hey, leave him out of this! He didn't do anything wrong!" Yuuma cried out, looking grievous.

"Hey, we were tasked with killing him, right? He had a SacredGear, and boss told us that he's dangerous," he whistled, shrugging innocently. "Plus, none of us know what it is, so wouldn't that make the human even more dangerous?"

"Well, yeah, but he's done nothing that would make him dangerous!" She reasoned, swapping glances between her fellow fallen angel and the lad on the ground, who was currently bleeding. "Look, I'm just going to heal him, and—"

*Zzzk!*

A spear of light whizzed past her, merely inches away from touching her. She jumped back, growling angrily at the fallen in front of her.

"Come on, Ray. You can't seriously be thinking of healing that weak buffoon there, are you?" He laughed. "Think about it! You want to be in the light so that Azazel recognises you, right?"

Immediately, she stopped, realising that his words were true. She practically worships their leader, and she wold give anything just to be his, but…

"No…" She shook her head, before it raised, her eyes gleaming with anger. "Not like this!"

"Ah well, pity. And I was hoping that we could just go back, all of us together, like one big family…" He sighed. "Poor Dohnaseek. Poor Mittelt. Mittelt, Mittlet? Agh, whatever. Poor Kalawarner. And Poor Freed."

'F-Freed?!' At that, Riven's eye shot wide, his heart beating ever the faster. Freed, the same exorcist he met years back, was here?! 'Damn, he better grow. If I'm the only one who grew tall, I'd have to have a chat with logic.

 **'Logic's not a real person though..'** Eve sweat-dropped. **'And obviously he should have grown. Puberty, duh.'**

"I'm not going to die, Zacharias. I'm better than you take me for granted," she spat, summoning a light spear in hand. She readied herself, both in her stance and her new outfit.

Riven caught a light glimpse of how she looked, and gone was Yuuma Amano, now replaced with a more mature-looking woman, clad in some sort of leather skintight outfit.

'Oh great, I caught the heart of some BDSM lover…' He gulped, but thought that maybe it was just the clothes.

"Then show me, Raynare! Show me how good you really are!" He laughed, and the duel was on.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally into the steps of cannon anime and manga! I think. Well, I'm certain about the anime part, but there are a few differences here and there.**

 **So first up, I'd like to point out that the confession part is not entirely original, I guess..? I mean, I took the idea from another great writer, Retributus. Trust me on this one; his story is amazing. I mean, I liked it, so maybe you would too. Although, he doesn't know me, I don't know him, just as a fellow writer, I suggest you try reading his works. Hilarious, romantic, everything you could imagine.**

 **In any case, things are starting to pick up, I hope. Let's see how this stupidly dumb story will go, huh? See ya'!**


	12. Chapter 11

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

 _"For him, it was easy."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!* - Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 11: A Tarot Peerage=-

*Shing!*

Both fallen clashed their weapons against each other, Raynare with her spear of light, formed with intricate designs of writings on its edges, and Zacharias with his earlier sword of electricity, dauntless like its wielder, mad from his heart.

"You're not bad!" The male fallen laughed, knocking his opponent backwards and trying to slash her, but failing to do so as she propelled into the air. "You're lucky that I made a barrier in the first place! If not, everyone would be seeing this!"

"Good! I get to kill you without holding back!" Raynare let loose a battlecry of her own as she flew towards him, a flurry of stabs at his sword with her spear. He was parrying her every strikes, making it harder for her to truly get him. 'Damn it!'

"Not fast enough, apparently!" He cackled again, casting electricity into his free hand before shooting it forwards, with the female fallen barely dodging it. "Aww, you're no fun."

She didn't say anything, but knew that she was in a bad situation.

Zacharias was a new recruit to their group, probably a few months ago. Even then, he had proved himself a worthy fighter, the only other one that was truly on an equal level with him being Freed, the exorcist.

'Just great. I thought Freed was crazy enough, then this guy comes into the picture…' She sighed, summoning a magic circle in the air and letting a hail of light spears to rain down.

Feeling a sense of excitement, the male fallen erected a barrier around him, watching as the spears bounce of it like rain on an umbrella. He looked to the supposedly dead person, laughing loudly when he thought he was truly gone.

Wrong.

'Neh, Eve, who do you think I should recruit in my peerage?' Riven asked, deciding to play dead so he could have a short talk with his draconic partner.

 **'Hmm, I don't know. You _could_ invite Freed when you meet him. There's also Vali and Issei, but…'** She took in air through gritted teeth. **'Seeing that Issei has Ddraig, and Vali has Albion, you know they're going to go crazy at each other.'**

'Well then, I'll just have to try and reason with them when the time comes,' he mentally smiled, earning himself a chuckle from the dragoness.

 **'In any case, it seems that the battle isn't going to end any time sooner, huh?'** The lad hummed in response. **'Who do you think is going to win? Zacharias, or Yuu—Err, _Raynare_?'**

'I don't know…' His eyes narrowed in slight sadness, knowing all along that he was being targeted. 'Never mind. Once my wounds are completely healed, we'll get out of here.'

True to his words, the gashes on his back were slowly closing up and healing, due to his father's blood in him. Being a demon has its perks, apparently.

"Come on, Raynare! You need to hit harder, or I'll never climax!" He jested, combatting her pelting of light spears with a disc of electricity.

"Shut up!" She yelled, disgusted with the fallen before her. She had to deal with his perverted nonsense all this while, well… No more! "Hragh!"

She flicked her wrist, spawning a second light spear and wielding it. She flew towards him, lunging at him with the light spear in her right hand, able to get Zacharias to block it. Taking this opportunity, she quickly raised the second one, thrusting it at him and stabbing through flesh.

"Aaah, better~!" He moaned, despite the pain, and kicked her away with his boot. "Ohh, that was a good one, Ray! You should have done me a favour and sucked me off before you even met the dead kid!"

"Like I ever would!" She yelled back, flapping her wings so to carry her towards him, yelling as she formed spear after spear, barraging him with attack after attack. Some were broken by his sword, some pierced through him. Even then, she was met with a groan of pleasure, much to her disgust.

Why did a masochist ever join their group, she would never know.

'Okay, time to get out of here…' Riven gulped, slowly moved away, keeping his chest close to the ground. He moved as slowly as he could, wanting to make sure that the other two would not notice him. 'Alright, just until I reach the—Oh crud, more of them!'

As if on cue, a magic circle spawned just beside the fountain, and out came four beings, three fallen and one human.

The first was a middle-aged man, having short black hair underneath a black fedora fedora. Matching dark blue eyes accompanied the grey trench coat he wore, with a white shirt underneath. A white tie, black pants, and black shoes.

Beside him was a tall and gifted woman—gifted by the means that she possessed large 'assets', as his father once told him—with long, navy blue hair. Brown eyes, he could tell. She was wearing a purple trenchcoat-like top with a wide collar, a matching miniskirt, and black heels. The golden necklace she wore around her neck rested on her 'assets'.

Next to come was a petite little girl in some gothic lolita outfit—he had read a lot on fashion trends a few days back. Her blonde hair tied into pigtails, giving off the visage of some rich little girl. He thought it strange that she, a little girl, was amongst a group of old people.

And there, the final person was—

'Freed..!' His old friend, wearing an outfit of an exorcist, was much taller than he last remembered him being before. 'Huh, I guess time _does_ change people, physically-wise.'

 **'Umm, that's actually natural...'** For being a prodigy and all, her partner could have a loose screw in the head at times.

"Oi, Zach! We heard trouble, and—" Freed paused at the sight of his fallen companions fighting. "What the heck are you guys doing?"

"Oh, just having a little fun time!" The male fallen shouted, dancing in the air before tearing his sword against her spear. "We had a little argument, and she wanted to vent out her pent-in anger!"

"I am more than pissed, asshole!" Her outrage came in the form of her rage-filled roar, accompanied with her thrusting her spear deep into her target's abdomen.

"Yes, more~!" Masochistic fallen he was, disgusted everyone else were.

"Raynare, what is the meaning of this?" The fallen with the fedora asked, messaging his temples to rid the headache that came.

"She's mad because I killed our target," he shrugged, sidestepping—in the air—the attack that was bound for his head. "And she _may_ or _may not_ have fallen in love with him."

"Uurgh, such a nuisance…" The fedora-wearing fallen sighed. "Raynare, the person is dead. Let's go already."

"No! Not until I make him pay for killing Riven-kun!" She cried out, the person in question sweat-dropping.

'And I can imagine how mad she'll be when she finds out that I'm actually still alive…' He gulped, hoping that he wouldn't have to meet the fallen's wrath.

"But he's already dead, Ray—" Freed suddenly paused, stuck in his posture where his arms were raised as he shrugged.

"Great, now Freed's frozen," the little girl in the gothic-themed outfit blew a raspberry.

And then it came.

"Wait, RIVEN?!" Freed suddenly shouted, eyes full of shock as he stared back at the female fallen in the air. "Hang on, he was our _target_?!"

"You seem to know him, then?" The woman in the trench coat asked, but he ignored her.

"Yes, well… I was the one that killed him, because little Raynare here took too long~!" He laughed, filling the area in the barrier with his own voice, until—

*Bang!*

"Guh! / ..!" Everyone's eyes widened at the sight before them, as well as Riven's, as they watched what had just unfolded.

Freed, with a silver gun in his hand, had shot Zacharias in the gut. And he looked ticked off than even Raynare herself, which shocked everyone else.

"Where the f**k is he?!" He roared out, firing more clips at Zacharias. "Where is he, Raynare?!"

"U-Uhh…" She lacked any words to say, landing with a look of disbelief on her face, until Freed got a grip on her shoulders. "Eeh!"

"Tell me!" He looked desperate now, something everyone had never seen before.

He looked so lost.

"I-I'm here…" An arm raised in the air, before it fell back.

"R-Riven!" Freed ignored the fallen, running towards the tree where his friend was lying close down to. He kneeled, pulling Riven up. "What the hell?! What are you doing here?!"

"I moved to Assiah three years ago," he shrugged, giving a look of embarrassment at Raynare. "Hey, Yuuma-chan…"

"R-Riven…." Her breath was suddenly caught in her throat, with no words able to be said. "Y-You're alive..?"

"Yeah, well… The files said our target was a human, right?" Freed chuckled, hoisting his friend up. "Well, his mother definitely never divorced."

"Wait, what?" The fedora-wearing man was surprised.

"Wait, you thought my mother divorced?" The lad raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"I don't know. The guy who orders us around, Kokabiel, gave us a file about you, except without your name. It said your mom divorced, but I know that's a lie," the exorcist chuckled, wiping off a little tear from his eye. "Damn it, I miss you, dude…"

"Same here, friend," Riven smiled. "Oh, and in case you're curious," he turned to the fallen. "The wolf you've seen around my house is actually my _dad_. He's Satan."

"Wait, what?!" He was met with gasps of disbelief and shock from everyone there, even Zacharias. Well, except Freed, since he knew.

"Yeah, so that makes me half-demon," the prince shrugged with a simple smile. "And with that, my wounds are sealed up and healed. Perks of being a demon, I suppose."

"Fudge man, you should have sent a postcard to me. I would have came over," the exorcist smiled, earning a chuckle from his friend.

"To be honest, I thought you'd be going to _Europe_ of all places," Riven had always assumed Freed to be a European. "Not Japan."

"Well, yeah, I get that a lot," he snickered.

"ENOUGH!" All eyes turned to the source of the voice, later apparent that it was Zacharias, who was looking oddly mad. "So what I'm hearing is that our target, this whole time, was the son of Satan?!"

"To put it frankly, yes. Yes I am," Riven nodded his head.

"That's so bullsh*t! I'm sure you just made that up because you want us to let you go, in fear that your daddy would come over and kick our asses! Well, I know it when you're lying!" The male fallen accused, apparently not believing the truth laid out before him.

"Well, if you don't believe me, then there must be a way to settle this, no?" He wanted this to be fair. He didn't want to fight Zacharias as he was, considering that his body was littered with holes and he was just bloodied.

"Hah, fine. I'll see for myself whether you're lying or not," he scoffed, gesturing to the abandoned church on the hill. "Come there tonight. If you don't, I'll know that you were lying."

"Of course," Riven nodded, watching as the male fallen fly off. "Well, guys, you should get going too."

"Oh no. I'm going with you," Freed interjected, looking deadly serious. "I hate that bastard a long time ago. I'm siding with you on this one."

"You sure?" His question was met with a nod. "I see. Alright, you'll live with me. Yuu— _Raynare,_ " The fallen flinched a bit at hearing the prince calling her by her real name.

"Y-Yes..?" she asked, slightly unnerved. 'I know he deserves to hate me, I was the one who tried to kill him in the first place…'

"How about you? You plan to go to the church?" He asked, the earring shining brightly.

"I-I don't know…" She bit the inside of her cheek. The moment she saw him raise his hand, she flinched. She knew it. She just knew it. He hated her, he—

*Pah.*

"Well, make sure that you take care of yourself, alright?" He smiled, patting her softly on the head before making his way home. "Neh, Freed, do you like pasta or rice more?"

"Eh, I'm more of a bread person…" The exorcist answered, their laughter being the only thing she last heard before they finally disappeared.

Absentmindedly, her hands trailed all the way to the spot where Riven had patted her, and a warm blush brushed her face.

'H-He doesn't hate me…' That thought brought butterflies to her stomach, and her heart knew now what to do.

* * *

Riven's Home

 **"Hey Freed! Wasn't expecting you to be here, in Kuoh of all places!"** Satan welcomed his son's friend with a toothy grin. **"We thought you were in Europe!"**

"Seriously, do all of you think that way..?" He sweat-dropped, met with synchronised nods. "Damn it… Hey, who's the chick over there?"

"She's my Familiar, Tiamat," Riven explained.

"Of the Dragon Kings?" He asked, eyes slightly wide, gaining a nod. "Whoa, damn. Never thought you'd be able to pull it off."

"You sound strangely calm about it all," Riven's mother spoke.

"Yeah, well, I suppose the only shock for me, which was meeting your son after a long time, dulled any other shock," he shrugged with a smile. "Oh hey, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Freed Selzen."

"Yuri Egin here," the mother made a bow.

 **"Your one and only Satan, at your service,"** the Demon of demons nodded his head, sitting himself on the couch. **"You were in that amusement attack, right?"**

"Yup. Tough times, but we got through it A-OK," he smiled, sitting beside his friend's father.

"So, how was the date, milord?" The dragoness asked her lord, sitting beside Yuri. Tiamat was visibly twitching, by her left eye. Why she did that, Riven didn't know.

"Well, it's a heck of a story, so you guys might want to listen…" He trusted his family the most, and knew it was important to let them know.

And so, he explained the entirety of the story, starting from how their date started out with them going to the mall, to when they got to the park, and how the fallen arrived, with one of their members trying to take his life.

There were a mix of reactions. Tiamat was visibly jealous. Jealous of what? He thought of a few answers, but none could come to mind. Satan, being his father, was worried at times, but his eyes held proud confidence. Yuri was the most concerned of the four, adopting a guilty look when he mentioned him getting attacked. Freed looked pissed the most, later relieved after he was fine.

Then he told them about the duel he had initiated with Zacharias. He told them that he'd fight the fallen angels at the abandoned church, settling the score there and then.

 **"Wait, you mean the church up on the hill?"** Satan asked, receiving a nod from Freed. **"Hang on a minute, I heard there were some shady stuff going on around there."**

"You're right about that. Zacharias recently came up with a plan to kill Riven, drag him to the church and extract his SacredGear using this extraction machine he built," Freed admitted, not minding that he was betraying the fallen. He hated that asshole, and hated him even more now for trying to kill Riven.

"I see… So what is our plan of move?" The Dragon King asked, already racking up ways on how to strike the church.

"When we get there, we'll need to…" The prince suddenly paused, turning to look at Freed next. "Freed, when we go there… We might have to kill the people working there. I know it sounds heartless, but—"

"Nah, go for it," the exorcist shrugged, gaining looks of disbelief from everyone else there. "What? You thought I'd care? Hah! To be honest, I only joined the group because I wanted to get stronger, all so that I can meet Riven here one day."

"Well, that's… somewhat relieving, I think," Tiamat blinked, not really knowing what to say. "So what? All we have to do is kill the stray exorcists there?"

"Not quite. You'd need to destroy their machine as well," Yuri offered. "We don't want others beside us having to lose their SacredGear."

"Question. What happens if we lose our SacredGear?" The exorcist asked.

 **"SacredGears are basically an embodiment of our souls. It's part of our hearts and us,"** Satan began explaining. **"It defines you. So, take that away from your body, and you die."**

"Wow, that sucks…" Freed blinked, sighing in relief a moment later. "Thank God they haven't taken your SacredGear."

"True that," Riven nodded. "Alright, I think we'll know what to do. But… It's just the three of us. Me, Freed and Tiamat. There's bound to be a lot of people in there."

 **"Not true,"** Satan shook his head, before flashing a toothy grin, all his fangs up for display. **"Your mother and I are coming too."**

"Wait, what?!" Riven jumped from his seat, eyes wide with surprise.

"Riven, you are our son. And the moment they tried to mess with you, well, they'll have it coming at them," Yuri spoke with a strict tone, surprising her son. "I can fight too, don't worry. I was an exorcist back in the day."

"Oh, true. You said you stopped becoming one after marrying father," Riven nodded in understanding.

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

Their discussion was cut short by the sound of knockings on the door. He could sense how everyone grew stiff, cautious. He signalled for them to calm down, standing up and proceeded to open the door.

"R-Raynare?!" The prince was slightly taken aback at seeing the fallen standing there by the entrance, her hands holding a luggage bag. A quick glance and he could tell that she was distressed.

"Riven…" She whimpered, burying her face into his chest. "I need your help, please…"

"W-What? Come on, let's get inside first," Riven said, and invited the Fallen in. She was hesitant at first, but followed anyways. Inside, she managed to catch a glare from the dragoness and exorcist. Riven took the fallen's luggage and proceeded to place them by the stairs of his house, leading her to sit down with them on the couches.

"Oh, wassup, b*tch. Got mad, and wanted to finish the job?" Freed hissed, keeping his fingers close to his gun on his belt.

"If you think you can kill Riven here, you have another thing coming," Tiamat's eyes narrowed even more, smoke puffed out from her jaws.

"Guys, please," he sighed, turning to face the girl. "Raynare, is there a problem?"

"W-Well, it's about the others. Zacharias took control of the church and now my friends are locked behind bars… Riven, you have to help me, please!" The female Fallen pleaded, looking into his eyes with an amount of water leaking out. Tiamat only scoffed.

"Why do you think milord would help you?" The fallen shifted her attention to the dragoness. "You previously tried to kill him, and now you seek his assistance? You vile creature…"

The words the dragoness released were filled with venom. They hurt, yes, but they were true. It was if an arrow had struck her in the heart. She dipped her head low in embarrassment.

 **"Wait a minute, Zacharias? Hey fallen, what's his full name?"** Satan pipped in, sounding a little bit angry.

"H-His real name is Zacharias von' Marren," she answered, only for the wolf to let out a growl.

 **"Just great. The son of one of the bastards that tried to kill me is now targeting my son? The nerves of the guy,"** he scoffed, raising question marks in the air.

"Father? You know this Zacharias?" Riven asked.

 **"I don't directly know him, but I knew his father. Vartil von' Marren, a fallen on the level of an Ultimate-class devil. During the Great War, he was aiming for my head. Said that I was a bounty,"** he clicked his tongue. **"So, as retaliation, I killed him, cut his head off, and put it on a platter. Gave it back to his family. Didn't take it well."**

"T-That was intense…" The son sweat-dropped, knowing full well that his father could be scary when he wanted to be.

 **"Sorry, lost it there. But right now, I'm just pissed that his son came for you next,"** Satan's grin turned a bit more sadistic this time. **"That cuts it. I'm coming with you. We'll siege that church."**

"Yeah. We'll do it," he nodded, turning to Raynare next. "Listen Raynare. Tonight, I'm about to fight Zacharias at the church. The stray exorcists are going down as well. You're free to stay here and wait, or join us in the fight."

"N-No… He overstep the line this time. I'm going to save my friends," she nodded, looking ready.

"Alright then," he nodded. "But still, that's only six of us. I'd rather we truly be safe about this."

 **"So I suggest we give your sister a little call,"** Satan suggested, grinning brightly. **"Girl's got a brother complex towards you, kid. She'd do anything for you."**

"Oh, joy…" The prince groaned, before taking out his phone, punching numbers on the keypad. "Hopefully she agrees to help out…"

 **"Trust me on this one, kid. She won't, and never will, say 'no',"** the father chuckled, a groan being his response.

* * *

Occult club

Rias was still in the Occult clubroom, her peerage members there as well as they stuck to their own devices. She was busy signing papers that she received from Sirzechs. Some of them were about her engagement to Riser Phenex, a huge dick she didn't like.

'As if I'm going to marry you…' She mentally spat. 'My heart only belongs to one person, after all…'

Her thoughts turned to her brother.

*Ring!*

"Hmm?" Her phone on the desk suddenly started ringing, much to her confusion. She picked it up, noticing that it was a new number. "Hmm, who could this be? Oh well."

She tapped on the screen and brought it to her ear.

"Hello?" She adopted a professional tone.

 _"H-Hey Rias-nee…"_ That voice!

"Riven? Is that you?!" Her eyes widened, she had basically stood from her seat, a happy smile on her face. All eyes turned on her, but she ignored them.

 _"Y-Yeah, it's me…"_ He chuckled, coughing nervously on the other side of the line. _"Umm, sorry to be bothering you."_

"Nonsense! I'm actually free!" She lied, but she'd rather do so to spend time with her brother, rather than be stuck behind her desk signing whatever there is that needed signing.

 _"O-Okay then,"_ he cleared his throat before speaking once more. _"Actually, I have a favour to ask you, and—"_

"Anything!" She responded back, sitting on her desk this time. For some odd reason, she could hear Satan shouting something that sounded like 'I called it!' from the other line.

 _"A-Ah, thanks. But I'd rather tell you about it all, first,"_ and thus, he began explaining the fallen situation to her, choosing to leave out the fact that he went out on a date with Raynare. He could hear her teeth grit, even from his side of the line. _"So… That's basically it. I was wondering if you and your peerage could help us out."_

"Of course, Riven. They dared hurt my baby brother, and I'm going to make them pay for their mistakes!" She nodded, sounding determined and ticked off. She hung up, raising her voice. "Everyone, we have a job to do!"

* * *

"Sir, everyone is already in position, and armed to the teeth. What now?" a cloaked figure, a woman, asked her boss. And it turns out that the boss was Zacharias himself. The sick dastard.

"Go get yourself ready. Tonight is going to be one helluva slaughter," the leader cackled. "Oh, and make sure our old friends don't die, got it? Their feathers make good accessories. Ahahaha!"

* * *

Night Time—Abandoned Church

"Riven!" The red-haired heiress of the Gremory household beamed at the sight of her brother, who approached her with his parents, his Familiar and—Wait, hold up. "Umm, Riven? Who are those two?"

"Wait, you don't remember me?" Freed gestured to himself, receiving a nod. "Hey, that's not fair!"

"She fainted the whole time during the attack, remember?" Riven nervously smiled, gaining an 'Ohh' from the exorcist.

"Wait, Freed? That's you?" Rias blinked in surprise, a smile from the exorcist. "I thought you were in—"

"Oh my f**king God! If I hear someone saying that they thought I was in Europe one more time, I'm going to shoot myself!" He cried out, pulling on his fair in pure frustration.

"Uhh…" The redhead didn't know what to say, instead shifting her attention to the black-haired girl. "And who's this?"

"Okay, I may have forgotten to tell you this," Riven lied. "But this girl here, is a fallen. Raynare, she was my date for the day, and—"

"SAY WHAT?!" She screamed out loud, crossing the distance between herself and her brother, mere inches away from him. "She's your _girlfriend_?!"

"N-No! It was just for a while!" He shook his head, holding up his hands in defence. "Really, we're not in a relationship! It was just a spur of the moment."

"Oh, I see…" She nodded in understanding, before a glare placed itself on the fallen. "Don't even think about being his girlfriend."

"R-Right…" Was what Raynare may have said, but she couldn't help but want to be. She fell for him already, so she'd do everything in her power to make him hers.

"Hey guys!" A new voice sounded, later shown to be Issei, who was still wearing his school uniform.

"Issei? What are you doing here?" Riven asked. He was sure that he didn't tell the brunette that he was going to attack the place.

"Yeah, well, I was listening in on Rias-sama's conversation earlier, since I was just sitting down there, where the old building was," he admitted. "Then I thought, 'Hey, if this could help me awaken my SacredGear', why not?', so here I am."

"Huh, okay," the prince's expressions turned concerned. "But this is a serious situation, man. You sure? The dudes in the church are trained to kill. They won't hold back at all against some student."

"Hey, don't use my lines!" Freed chided, the prince chuckling back in embarrassment.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'll stick close to you then!" Issei promised, the look of determination hard to dismiss.

"Alright-y then," the exorcist nodded. "Let's get you up and running then."

"Hey guys, I've got something to ask Freed for something before we move in," the prince suddenly called out, his friend turning to him.

"Yeah, what's up?" While it was just him that Riven wanted to talk to, it seemed that everyone else wanted in on their conversation.

"Okay… You know how devils recruit other beings through reincarnation to make them part of their peerage?" At that question, everyone perked up. Freed especially.

"Yeah, I know that. Why, you want to recruit me?" He asked, surprised by just a bit.

"Well, yeah, but I'm not going to turn you into a devil," at that, everyone looked at him, eyes wide with surprise. "Rather, it'll just be a simple ritual of recruiting you, whilst you remain as a human."

"Huh, I see…" The exorcist nodded in understanding, before a smile popped up on his face. "I'm up for it, as long as it's your peerage."

"Wait, you're going to make Freed join your peerage _without_ reincarnating him?" Rias asked, her eyebrows raised in curiosity. She had never heard of such a thing being done.

"Mmhm. We're about to make history here!" He grinned, now turning to his soon-to-be peerage member. "Alright, we'll have to make a contract. A sort of give-and-take sort of thing. You make your end of the deal, and I'll make mine."

"A contract, you say?" The way his lips turned into one straight line gave him the look of someone thinking hard, as his eyebrows furrowed, until his facial structures turned back into a calm expression. "Alright, here's it. I join your peerage if you help me to become a better priest."

"Really?" The prince blinked in surprise. Considering his friend was someone who, despite having to live with the teachings of the church, was constantly a bad-mouther and was not all that religious, being asked of this was a shocker.

"Yup, that's all I need. And in exchange, I'll continue to fight, both for and with you," he grinned, outstretching his hand.

"Alright then," Riven took his friend's hand, and the same thing happened once more.

* * *

I am thou, **thou** art I…  
Thou hast acquired a **new** vow.

It shall **become** the wings of rebellion that **breaketh** thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the **Magician** Persona,  
I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to **freedom** and new power…

* * *

*Khh!*

His earring shone for a while, dying down just as quick.

And everywhere he looked, he was met with a look of disbelief, pride—his father—shock, and even denial—his sister.

"I-It actually worked…" Tiamat broke the silence first, her eyes closing and opening too fast.

"So, I'm your 'Magician', huh?" Freed chuckled, showing the back of his right hand to Riven.

It was indeed true. A magic circle with a picture of two eyes, and a third eye in the centre top of the two eyes, with black hands at the bottom with fire as its background. Underneath it, close to where the edge of the circle was, was the number one in roman.

And thus, a new peerage, a one of a kind, was born that night.

It was hard to ignore the fact that a peerage was born without reincarnating. It was unheard of! But time was of the essence. Right now, even when it left a bitter taste on their tongue, they had to save the fallen captives.

Afterwards, everyone began to discuss their tactics. He, Rias, Freed and Issei would go after Zacharias and take him out. The Occult club would take out any other exorcists present in the church. Gasper and Asia would be staying in the back so to stay away from danger, with Raynare, Satan, Tiamat and Yuri searching for the trapped fallen.

"Alright, everyone knows what to do?" He asked, gaining nods of understanding. "Alright, let's show em' what we can do!"

"Yeah!" Everyone shouted in unison, each ready and determined.

* * *

Arriving at the front of the church, Riven watched as Koneko flash him one soft smile, before she jumped up onto the balcony of the church, knocking out several stray exorcists with Rossweisse's help. He signalled for everyone to be ready, counting down from three to one with his fingers.

*Bang!* *Bang!* *Crash!*

Riven gave two strong pounds on the door, before giving one last smack and the door broke off, revealing tons of exorcists standing at the ready to defend their demented boss.

"Move out of the way!" Riven ordered, but was met with the sight of all of them raising light swords. "Just great… Alright, here we go! Akeno, Rias-nee! Clear a path! Kiba, Xenovia, move in and intercept!"

He was like a tactician, giving forth commands as he outstretched his hand in front of him, looking dashing in the women's eyes.

"Now!" Immediately, just as he ordered, Rias and Akeno stepped forwards, 'King' and 'Queen' letting loose their own powers upon the horde of stray exorcists, killing many as they were sent knocked backwards.

Once they stopped, the 'Knights' of Rias's peerage sprang to action, wielding their respective swords and cleanly cutting down the remaining ones. They tried to retaliate, but none could rival Kiba's speed, or Xenovia's destructive power.

"Alright, let's go!" Upon his yell, everyone moved to their part of the plan, catching a glimpse of his parents disappearing off to somewhere else, his vision obscured by the pillar he passed. 'Please be careful..!'

*Crash!*

"Gah!" A stray exorcist crashed straight into some of the pews, gurgling blood as he felt a sword dig itself in his chest, limping afterwards. Kiba moved on to the next.

He could see Koneko tackling some of her targets to the floor, launching blow after blow at the exorcists around her. Damn, was she strong. He never knew the little, shy girl he met in the forest was now a 'Rook'. The way she easily punched, and broke ribcages was bone-chilling.

"Milord!" The prince looked to where he heard his name called. It was Tiamat, signalling to a flight of stairs. "They're down there. Be careful."

"Of course," his head shook down and up, a smile of gratitude plastered on his face. He turned back to his sister and friends. "Come on, guys, we're there."

"Right back at ya'!" Issei grinned, calm and ready for the incoming fight.

* * *

Disappearing down the staircase, the four had been cautious the whole time, met with either a sword or a gun, ending with either Rias blasting them away with her 'Power of Destruction', Freed gunning them down, or Riven and Issei doing a combo together.

The last part took the longest time just to kill the damned target.

"You're surprisingly calm about all of this," Riven took out a loose brick from the wall, tossing it straight at an exorcist's head, letting Freed deal the finishing blow. "And we technically just killed a dude."

"Yeah, well… I suppose that if I want to become stronger, I'd have to get used to these sort of things…" Issei sighed, scratching an itchy part on his head. "Man, I can't believe you guys do this everyday…"

"I do, but I bet that Rias doesn't," Freed corrected. "I know Riven slew terrorists, but that's all I can say."

"Well, for your information, I _do_ do these sort of things. Well, I only kill Stray Devils," she hummed in thought at the end of the sentence, before pouting. "But you get the point!"

"Whoa… At least you guys are ready," the brunette gulped, looking at his hand. "I can't wait to get my SacredGear."

"In due time, my friend," the prince reassured, his words taking an effect as the brunette smiled back. "Come on, let's continue."

A little more of going down some more stairs, they reached the door to the altar. Riven cracked his knuckles, willing his father's fire in his hands. Quickly, he launched it at the door, blasting it off of its hinges.

"Zacharias von' Marren, you have been charged with kidnapping fallen and dealing with suspicious acts without the knowledge of the authorities, as well as stepping foot into Gremory territory!" Riven shouted, his finger pointed steadily at the culprit. Unbeknownst to him, he won points among his friends.

'Riven~!' His sister looked at him, awed at the sheer display of bravery before her. She could feel arousal dripping down her legs. 'So dashing..!'

'Whoa, cool!' The brunette was amazed at how confident his friend looked, despite being outnumbered. 'I gotta' try my best if I want to be a harem king!'

'Damn,' the exorcist's eyes widened, a proud smirk on his face as he looked on. 'Sheesh, take the spotlight, eh? Oh well, just means my friend's more awesome than ever.'

"Now, we can choose the easy way, or the—" He was cut off by the fallen.

"Kill him and every one of his friends!" Zacharias shouted, and immediately every exorcists in the room armed themselves with light swords, silver guns, and platinum knives.

"Of course you'd choose the hard way…" Riven sighed, flicking his finger against his earring before yelling. "Persona!"

*Brrr!*

His father's fire engulfed him, dying down as Riven appeared in his demonic form, as well as the same student outfit and black mask. He outstretched his hands, spawning Ascalon and Gram.

"Whoa hoa hoa! You look, like, really cool!" Issei gushed, impressed with the sight before him. "You look like some sort of badass student!"

"Haha… Thanks," the lad nervously chuckled, before putting on a ready face. "Issei, stay close to the door. Do not engage the enemy. Rias, stay close to Issei. Freed, you're with me."

"Coming!" Freed, now standing besides his friend, held a sword and gun in hands. "Let's show em' what this demon and human can do, eh?"

"Let's," the prince couldn't agree more.

Battle started, the two rushed forwards, easily cutting down their targets. Freed shot bullet after bullet, popping the heads of the stray exorcists he had once worked alongside with. Even then, he could only think of how Riven was, once again, making this look like child's play.

The prince parried every attack, slashing at his enemies with quick movements. He blocked a gunshot with Ascalon, before lunging forwards, penetrating the abdomen of his enemy with Gram. He brought the corpse closer to him, using it as a shield from the gunshots, before kicking the body away, raining blue fire down on the exorcists.

In retaliation to an attempted attack, he erected a wall of fire, willing it to move forwards, thus swallowing the stray exorcists that were coming at him. He snapped his finger, turning the wall into an orb, launching it at a horde of enemies and blasting them apart.

Cold and silent, merciless and thorough. He was so much different in battle.

Using the opportunity of the shock that writ across the exorcists, Rias formed a sphere of her power, launching it at them in the form of a thunderbolt. It zig-zagged, crossing the floors and decimating them. The ones that came close never had the chance to kill her, as her brother made sure that they wouldn't so much touch her hair, as he sliced his blades across them like paper.

"Freed, on your 3 o' clock!" He warned, and the exorcist took it well.

With nary a response, but a nod of gratitude, Freed loaded his gun with new ammunition, cutting his blade of light—to be honest, it's more like plasma, but let's just ignore that—through his once-were comrades, gunning down his targets by their heads and hearts. He shot vital points and cut quick, taking not even an hour to finish off fifty men.

"Damn it, we're outnumbering them! How the hell are we being defeated?!" Zacharias was really mad now. "No matter, I'll just have a little bit of fun myself!"

He jumped off the platform where the extraction machine was located, zipping past the exorcists and meeting the demonic prince's blades with his own, forged from light and electricity.

"Hey, little prince! How does it feel? To know that you're about to die?!" He cackled, responded with a roundhouse kick to his face, later on followed with a bullet lodged in his left shoulder. "Ghrgaah!"

"To be honest, I wasn't thinking about that," Riven disagreed, his eyes unseeable. But if anyone could see past that black mask, they would see that his eyes burned with hatred. "I'm just about ready to kick your butt. Prepare thyself."

"RrraaAGH!" Flying into the air, he boomed towards the prince, thrusting his sword against Riven's. He met a tremendous resistance, disbelief etched all over his face as he watched his opponent effortlessly shatter his sword, followed with a fist to his face, sending him back into a group of exorcists.

"Strike one!" Riven fist pumped, a grin on his features.

Knocking aside the exorcists, the fallen flew forwards once more, not wanting to give up until he killed the son of Satan, who has _humiliated_ someone as great as him. He'll see to it that the prince suffers greatly.

"Bang!" Freed appeared from nowhere, popping Zacharias's shoulder with his gun, later on dealing a firm kick to his gut, sending him back once more. "Wow, dude. You're like some sort of football or something."

"Which one do you mean? Football as in the ones from America, rugby I think, or the soccer version?" Riven asked. Problem is that America just had to complicate things.

"Soccer," the exorcist answered, gunning down the waves of stray exorcists like it's Christmas. "Well, I don't think we'd need to worry about—"

*Boom!*

"Ghugh!" Freed went flying backwards, crashing into one of the pillars, the broken structure soon falling down on him.

"Freed!" Riven called out, his attention lost and resulting in him getting knocked down to the floor by an uppercut. "Urgh!"

"Guys! / Riven!" Both Issei and Rias called out in unison, eyes wide with horror as they watched Zacharias approach the prince, gripping him by his hair and forcing him to meet his eyes.

"Well, how does it feel, b*tch..? Stings, doesn't it?!" He cackled, slamming his forehead into Riven's mask and kicking him away. "You're so weak! Pathetic, even! I can't believe you were the one that killed everyone here!"

"R-Riven..!" Freed tried to rise up, but the rubble on his back was just making this hard. He struggled harder, trying to get himself out. "Damn it, come on..!"

He couldn't attack; his gun had been knocked off to somewhere else. His sword was long broken by the rubble, possibly in shreds now.

"This is what you get," the fallen was mad now. No sense of morality or rationality was present. He was truly insane. "For trying to one-up me!"

*Thud!*

"Gha!" Riven coughed spit into the air, the force behind the stomp on his gut more painful than he would have thought. 'C-Crud..!'

"Come on, scream for me more~!" He was gone, all hope of saving him lost as he viciously continued to land stomp after stomp on the prince's stomach. "Come on, I'm waiting~!"

"Riven!" Issei made a move towards his friend, but was stopped by the latter's shouting.

"Don't, Issei! Just—Ghah! S-Stay back..!" His words came out not as a plea, but as commands. He was commanding Issei to stand down.

"I-I can't do that!" The brunette looked to be distressed, and who could blame him? Some bastard hurting your friend would make you feel that way indeed.

"Yes you can!" Riven yelled once more, ignoring the pain on his gut. "Do not, I repeat, DO NOT attack! GrHhaa!"

"That's a good little boy!" The fallen's sickening chortling rang in the room, like some sort of broken recorder, playing the same thing over and over again.

It was just too much. Freed was starting to lose hope.

And that's when it began.

 ***Persona 5—Awakening (Play Song)***

"Ha-HargghAaA!" The exorcist, still stuck beneath the rubble, suddenly began screaming, all attention now on him, his ears ringing loudly and his mind experiencing a tremor of its own.

 **"So, you're starting to think that you're about to lose, hmm?"** This new voice that rang in his head was like a knife that was trying to split his brain. " **So you possess no faith in your friend? Well, other than this friend of yours, seems to me that you have nothing more to lose besides your dignity, so what say you cleanse this world of the subject of your hatred?"**

"A-ArrgaHAAA!" He was gripping his head in pain, body contorting and arching in painful manners. Zacharias looked on, curious.

 **"I see. I can tell that the true 'you' wants this person dead, it seems,"** the voice was mechanical, like that of a robot, yet Freed knew more than anyone else that it was talking like some form of human. **"Vow to me, exorcist. I am thou, thou art I. Thou will be who thou wishes to be. Thou hast not hold back if thou wishes the destruction of those thou despises. Let there be light!"**

"ERrghaaA!" And a mask formed on his face.

*Brr!*

The rubble on him was blown back, the stones crushing into walls, the pews, the other pillars around them, all as light and energy swirl around the exorcist like a hurricane. Everyone looked on, anticipating something.

"Oh? So you have something you think can turn the tides in your favour?" The lone fallen thought in interest, cracking his sore muscles.

"R-Rhhaa…" Standing now, on shaky legs, Freed gripped the mask—it was more of a helm, applying force onto it as he pulled it off of him, feeling flesh tear and blood flow. "RHAGAHHAA!"

*Vroo!*

 ***Persona 5—Awakening (End Song)***

 ***Final Fantasy XIII—Snow's Theme (Play Song)***

"N-Nhaa…" He has awaken, and the blue light that pulsated from behind him only made him look more amazing. "Well… What's this?"

Freed no longer stood in an exorcist's outfit. Rather, he was now wearing a silver armour outfit with varies of gold and black wrap all around his entire body.

And behind him stood a large puppet-like entity, looking somewhat similar to a Shakōki-dogū. It had white wings on its body, glowing silver, with details on its body such a sun on its tassel, a blue gem on its chest and red orbs on its shoulders. Its expressions displayed pure blankness, but everyone could tell that whatever this thing was, it was powerful.

"Freed…" Riven called out, breathless. "You awakened to your Persona!"

"Ah, so that's what this thing behind me is called?" Freed turned around, smirking at the puppet-being. "Well, ain't that cool! Now let's see how this plays!"

*Bam!*

"Gah!" Instantly, Freed tested his newfound powers by slamming his fist straight into Zacharias's jaw, laughing happily when he dealt a lot of damage.

"Well, ain't this something!" He snickered, pointing his finger at the fallen. "Shakkoumon, light em' up!"

 **"Of course,"** the being complied to its master's will, body turning a huge three-sixty before forming an orb of light, shooting it in the form of a beam at the fallen.

"Crud!" The fallen raised his arms to block the attack, but his arms hissed in pain. "Gaaha!" He jumped away, arms smoking red and hot. "What the hell?!"

"Well, this is awesome!" Freed cackled, willing Shakkoumon back into him before he got to his friend' side, lifting him up. "Come on, old friend. Let's end this together."

"You got it…" Riven panted a bit, but it seems that he was ready.

"Y-You won't win against me!" Both friends turned to the source of the voice. "You'll never defeat me!"

"Who said we were planning to defeat you?" Freed cackled, producing his light sword in his hand, the plasma blade similar to the one he wields as normal. He slung it over his shoulder, giving a vicious smirk.

"We plan to kill you, and we'll make certain that you're done with," the blue fires around the prince's body lit even more brighter now, as he produced Ascalon and Gram.

"N-NO!" But he was too late.

"Hyah!" On cue, the both of them charged their target at the same time, launching their fists at Zacharias. Riven whirled around, landing a kick to the fallen's neck with the heel of his boot, promptly followed with Freed dealing an upper arc that cut through Zacharias's chest to his face, leaving a long, red line.

Riven rushed the fallen with his swords, leaving fresh cuts on his body as he led a combo. He flicked his wrist, spawning his father's fire that took the shape of a wolf's head, later on commanding it to lunge forwards, engulfing the young von' Marren with fire.

"Freed, your turn!" He switched with his friend.

"You got it!" The exorcist nodded.

He sidestepped a thunderbolt, pulling out a golden revolver from nowhere before firing away at the fallen, leaving him littered with holes. He pocketed it, cleaving his light sword across his arm without any problem, before elbowing his old comrade in the right cheek, back-flipping and kicking her in the chin, causing his target to somersault by force into the air, pitifully landing with a fist against his spine, causing him to arch his back painfully, dropped down with an axe kick from the prince.

*Crash!*

"Ghugh..!" Blood and spit flew into the air from his lips, leaking down from the corners. He was now battered, bruised, and pained beyond words.

Slowly, he got up, but had no power to do anything anymore. He was standing, yes, but he was shaky.

"N-No more…" He shook his head.

"Pity. You should have never messed with us to start with," the pale haired teen snickered, exchanging a look of satisfaction with his buddy. "Hey Riven, ready to put this game to its brakes?"

"Well, there's no use fighting him any longer. He barely has enough energy to stand, so…" He burned his weapons, stored once more into [Royal Arcana]. "Yeah, let's do this."

Zacharias couldn't do anything, as death came to him, quick.

"Go forth!" Riven commanded, and the two launched themselves into the air, disappearing into shadows before jetting across their target, smacking him here and there as all he could see was a dark blur of a being, slamming against him again and again, and—

*Shing!*

One final stab to the heart, pulled out, the blood flow stopped.

 ***Final Fantasy XIII—Snow's Theme (End Song)***

Issei always knew that Riven was strong. He was, by far, the strongest person he's met so far.

However, the moment Zacharias decided to play unfair, by secretly injecting himself with some sort of tonic, and taking the prince and his friend off-guard, he couldn't help but feel as if they would lose.

But now, standing tall and proud, cladded in strange outfits, with a corpse just behind them, he was certain now.

He wanted to be as strong as them.

"Riven, Freed! Damn, that was awesome!" Issei came running to his friends, smiling brightly before his face scrunched up at the nasty view before him. "Ohh, gross… What was that last move?"

"Hmm… I call it the 'All-Out Attack'," the prince smiled, triumphantly, before the fires engulfed him, leaving him in his previous outfit. Freed too shifted back to his previous clothes. "In any case, we'll clean this up afterwards. At least no one takes pleasure in this sort of thing right?"

"Oh my~! Isn't this a wonderful sight~!" A voice of a female could be heard.

Oh right, we forget. Akeno, Rias' Queen, was a sadist and a masochist. And a disgusting one at that.

*Smack!*

The three boys face palmed, with the red-haired heiress chuckling in embarrassment.

 **"Yo, what's up, kids!"** All heads turned to where the voice was. Satan! If he's here, then—

"Father! Did you find them?" His response was a nod and a smile from the wolf, and Riven let out a breath of relief.

"Asia's currently tending to them right now. They were pretty bad, but nothing that her '[Twilight Healing]' can't heal," his mother appeared next to her husband, sharing a happy look with the teenagers.

"Hey, uh… Guys?" Issei called out for everyone, and immediately looked to him. "Not one to ruin the mood and all, but, uhh… Could we get out now? This sight is really not… pleasant…"

"Yeah, I suppose we can," the human-demon halfbreed nodded, raising his hand into the air and dispelling an ample amount of mana to remove the stench of blood and flesh.

Everyone left the church, and Rias had planned on destroying the church. Both Asia and Xenovia felt a bit distressed at this, and—noticing their reactions—Riven suggested on rebuilding the church, albeit one with a much more friendlier environment. And the priests that were to work there would have to be verified by himself, making sure not to repeat the same mistake of having stray exorcists in the area.

After seeing her nod of approval, Asia and Xenovia went on to thank Buchou and later on Riven.

The Fallen were doing fine, despite the tortures they were put through. After all the complications were settled, Dohnaseek had planned to return to Azazel's side, probably asking for his forgiveness and maybe work with him again. Raynare was hesitant, and finally chose to stay with Riven, which slightly surprised him and enraged his Familiar and sister. Due to this, Mittelt and Kala would be staying as well, just to make sure Riven didn't do anything with their fallen friend.

It was strange for him. If anything, they should have worried about Freed, considering that he was the twisted guy here.

Despite all this, he couldn't help but smile. It seemed that, from here on, life was going to get even more peaceful. The future was brighter now.

Well, peaceful as in a really chaotic way.

* * *

The Next Day

Riven slowly opened his eyes, letting the light from the sun that passed through his bedroom window's curtains enter them. He smacked his lips together, trying to moisten them. He tried to get up, but noticed that his body felt… heavy. Ah sh*t. He looked around himself, and what he saw got him flustered.

There lay to his left was Kala. Oh God! Her chest was literally showing, they weren't covered, her cleavage easily seen! To his right was Raynare who was, now this was what got him flustered in the first place, literally wearing nothing! Mittelt was squished between Raynare's chest and Riven's right arm, and on top of him was Tiamat, still wearing her dress, sleeping on his left arm. Her pale blue hair was a bit messy, and for some reason it made her seem even more beautiful.

Slowly, the door to his room creaked open, the face of Freed popping in slowly. He looked to where his friend lay, with all the girls around him, and he looked at the pleading look on his friend's face.

'Help me', Riven mouthed.

Freed, while somewhat eccentric and considered the opposite of that of a gentleman, he was one who valued his friend very much. And as such, seeing the way his friend was so weak now, in a position where his life was in an awkward danger, he did the thing any trustworthy friend would do.

He turned on his heels and shut the door.

* * *

 **A/N: Whoo!**

 **So now, Freed is officially part of our protagonist's peerage. And a Tarot peerage, no less. Things have certainly gotten interesting, ey?**

 **It's already a huge change that I decided one of the antagonists in the anime and light novel to be the protagonist's ally. Well, that's what a fanfiction is for, right?**

 **Now, in case none of you can understand how his design will be, imagine Yashiro Tsurugi from 'Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE', except with his outfit more whiter. For his Persona, Shakkoumon is a 'Digimon', believe it or not. You can just check all these out on the Internet or whatevs.**

 **In any case, thank you for reading so far. Leave a comment or anything, it's fine. Thank you, and adieu!**


	13. Chapter 12

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…'- Thoughts

 _"For him, it was easy."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!*- Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 12: Just Living Life=-

A Week Later—Sirzech's Palace

"H-Hang on, you mean he made someone a part of his peerage without needing to use the reincarnation system of the devils or angels?" The red-haired Devil Maou asked, breathless.

It had been quite some time, as he had been rather busy with the desk work piling up on his plate. Nonetheless, it hadn't been so tiring to the point that it depraved him of his stamina that he'd pass out once he hits the hay.

However, just earlier, he had received a call from his younger sister. Picking it up, he was being given a report of what had gone down, and that Riven was living in Kuoh. What?!

Grayfia, Euclid, Venelana and Zeoticus had all but rushed into his office, all trying to get the words from the girl herself. He had a hard time just prying the damn phone from their hands.

He was told of how Riven had made an old friend of his part of his peerage, without even reincarnating him. This caught their attention, as such a feat had never been heard before. Heck, even the library had no such knowledge such as this!

"So you're saying that he _formed a contract_ with his friend, and he was instantly part of his peerage?" Sirzechs pulled open the drawer to his left, searching through the papers for a blank document to write all this interesting knowledge on. "I see… So he dubs this peerage system the 'Tarot Peerage'?"

It was uncreative, but if he ever said it, God knows what Grayfia would do to him.

"I see… So instead of rooks and jacks, the class follows that of the tarot cards?" He scribbled notes onto the paper with a pen. "So Freed was turned into a 'Magician'? I see… So does this mean he excels in magic? Ahh, makes sense…"

This was interesting. Very much so. He had never heard of such a thing. As Riven had put it, history has just been made.

No doubt everyone would be dying to learn what he has just been told.

"Well, thank you very much for what you've told me, Rias. It is indeed very interesting, and I promise to look more into it," he smiled on his part, making sure to add one last thing. "Oh! And tell him we miss him! Bye!"

* * *

A week has passed since the incident with the church. Just as Rias had promised, she had rebuilt the church after she had it destroyed. What happened then? Well, Riven had then handed the church over to Asia, its new head nun. She was hap—scratch that, _overjoyed_! She now had her own church!

Riven too took the opportunity to make a stall of sorts to serve any visitors or the poor food and water; a selfless act Asia couldn't deny admired very much. But he made sure only to open up on weekends, or else it'd turn from a holy place for people to pray to his own restaurant.

But putting that aside, he had realised how Xenovia too was once a follower of God himself. Now, you might be wondering; why isn't she at least a helper? He had offered it to the blue haired woman, but she denied, stating that she very much enjoyed the flames of battle even more, so that was that.

Anyways…

Riven is currently lying down on Rias' lap while watching the TV. He gulped after some time, noticing that a certain killing intent rose in the air, and he could see that the eyes of every other girls, the Devils, Fallen and dragoness, in the room were narrowed onto the red-haired heiress. Well, Asia had a cute pouty face, and some others were seductive.

Kiba, Gasper, Issei—he looked super jealous, yet, at the same time, terrified—and Freed decided not to meddle with the ladies, knowing full well that it could only lead to their deaths.

His parents were away, and at such a time. Damn it!

The air was much too thick to be considered breathable, and he realised that he was breathing much too quietly. He turned to where Freed sat, mouthing his help, but received a few shakes of the head by the pale-haired teen.

So, to answer your question of 'Why are they there?', it's time we start from the very beginning.

* * *

Flashback—A Few Hours Ago

 _Riven was currently in the same position as earlier, albeit his lap pillow this time was Tiamat. She continuously played with the prince's hair, and sometimes trailed figure on his face smoothly. It tickled him, but he didn't mind it at all._

 _His parents were out, went for a little walk. They said they'd be back in a few hours or so later._

 _"Man, Riven, you sure are a lucky ass," Freed snickered, sipping away from his can of coke. "Get the attention from God knows how many ladies, both in and out of school. What are you, a lady magnet?"_

 _"I never wanted the attention, Freed, and if I could have given it away, I would've probably done that… Maybe make Issei take my place," he sighed, comfortably shifting his head on the dragoness's lap. "He does talk about the girl's body parts sometimes."_

 _"Too true," the 'Magician' nodded, fully understanding what he meant. "Breasts, breasts, and more breasts. Oh, and the thighs too, but mostly the breasts."_

 _Since they've caught the perverted brunette peeping on the Kendo girls a bunch of times. He may be told off, but he does seem to listen._

 _"That boy should try to find a new hobby someday… Maybe cooking, like you milord," Tiamat tugged stray strands behind her liege's ear, smiling warmly as she felt his soft breathing against her thigh._

 _"A splendid idea! Pfft, you'd wish," Freed snorted, sinking into the couch even more. "Dude has major issues. Constantly looks at your body non-stop. He looks at everyone's bodies. Well, girls, that is."_

 _"Maybe we should just send him off to a disciplinary camp…" The blunette sighed to herself._

 _If Issei dared make a move towards her, no one would blame her if he went missing, right?_

 _"Ahem!" The voice of another could be heard, instantly catching the three's attention._

 _Oh yeah, the fallen moved in with Riven. Whoops._

 _See, after the whole ordeal, Raynare had nowhere else to go. She decided that it was either back to Grigori or to Riven, so… She went with the second choice, wanting to renew her vows as his girlfriend. He never did deny, but she knew he was nervous about the thought._

 _And she knew herself that she had to up her game, as she was caught in a massive competition. Kalawarner, Mittelt—while not so serious, was still considered a threat—and even Tiamat herself were obstacles in her eyes._

 _"Yes, Raynare?" Tiamat asked, trying to sound as polite as she could, not bothering to face the fallen at all. Notice I said tried._

 _"What exactly are you doing to Riven?" She asked, her eyes narrowed into a glare. Behind her, Kala did the same and Mittelt? She was busy eating ice cream, looking at the scene that played out before her._

 _The petite fallen shared a look with the exorcist, whom just gave a shrug._

 _"Just enjoy the show," he said, sipping back his drink with a smirk. She decided to do just that._

 _"He is my lord, and I am his Familiar. And yet, we have lived for three years under this roof as a family, a boy and his guardian. I have devoted my life to his everyday needs, so, is there really something wrong with something like this?" Tiamat replied, sounding kind of proud. Raynare's right eye twitched._

 _"Oh, really? Then why not let his girlfriend do it. In fact, I'm more than happy to take your place right now," the Fallen smirked, still wanting to get the upper hand here._

 _"It is of no need. Besides," she poked her index finger at her liege's cheek, chuckling when he hummed back. "I have no doubts that milord has no taste for a thigh that is as hard as a rock."_

 _"Oh, burn!" Freed laughed, eyes wide with excitement as he became witness to the escalation of the argument. "What is Raynare's next move?"_

 _"This isn't a turns-based game, you know…" Riven whimpered, but it seemed that the tension was too much that no one noticed his words._

 _"Well, if you really do say that, I bet he'd rather have his head on my lap rather than yours," she scoffed, smile still kept up. "Yours look like a whale's over-bloated belly."_

 _"Ahaha, sh*t, that was good!" Freed toppled over onto the floor, clenching his stomach as he laughed. Thankfully, he had the rationality to place his drink on the table beside him before he dropped to the floor._

 _Riven swore that he could see lightning pulsing in between the females' eyes, so he decided not to say anything, but focus on the TV._

 _'Having Women Problems? Are they fighting over You?_  
 _Well, get the all awaited D-elux Cologne, and have them falling for you in an instant!_  
 _They'll forget each other and won't even fight no more!'_

 _'If only it was that easy…' Riven mentally sweat-dropped, trying to correct his head's position on his Familiar's lap, the latter scratching behind his ear and eliciting a breath of delight from the lad._

 _"Please, I know so that milord enjoys me more than he would ever like yours," she smiled, smugly. "I have everything he needs, after all, fallen."_

 _*Knock!* *Knock!*_

 _"I'll get it," Kalawarner forced out, moving towards the door with heavy feet. Upon opening it, she realised that the red haired Devil Maou's sister was their visitor, and she came along with the other members of the club. Oh yeah, Issei was there too. What was going on?_

 _"Hello there, Fallen. A pleasure to meet you," Rias greeted, not noticing the little squabble between the other Fallen and the dragonness inside the house._

 _"And nice to see you as well, lord Riven's sister," Kala replied, nodding her head in a way of curtseying._

 _"Lord Riven, you say?" The redhead chuckled._

 _"Of course. He is a prince of the Gremory household, no? Then it only makes sense that I announce him as such," the beautiful fallen explained, crossing her arms below her chest._

 _"I suppose so. By the way, I'd like to ask whether if Riven is here, or—" The red haired lass stopped as she saw that her brother was currently lying on his Familiar's lap, and that Familiar of his was currently arguing with Riven's Fallen of a girlfriend whose lap made the better pillow._

 _She became jealous._

 _"Ahem!" The red haired devil's effort in getting everyone's attention succeeded as they both looked to her. The squabble ended as well. "I can't trust any of you to talk, so Freed, would you mind explaining?"_

 _"Aww, no fair!" Issei pouted at the sight, peeking his head over the redhead's shoulder._

 _"Not now, Issei," Rias pushed him away. "Freed?"_

 _"Nah, I ain't going to answer ya'," he shrugged, still snickering a bit. "Ask your brother. He has a better grasp on the situation."_

 _"But you were a witness!" Riven turned his head in the exorcist's direction, the latter shrugging with a smirk._

 _"True, and so is everyone else here. But what was I busy doing when the argument came up?" At that, the human-demon halfbreed's expression turned blank. "Exactly, I was laughing so much that I couldn't care anymore. So please, by all means, explain to your sister."_

 _"A-Ahh, damn it…" He whimpered, turning his head so to look at the television. "They're arguing on whose lap makes the better pillow. I-I honestly wouldn't mind, really, as long as they don't mind either," he nervously spoke up, his eyes fixated on the TV screen._

 _"See, Tiamat?! He said he's okay with it, so let me have a turn!" Raynare pouted. "I'm his freaking girlfriend!"_

 _"Hah, girlfriend! All I see is a whiny little fallen who forced herself on him! I bet you just want to play lovey-dovey with him just to make up for the fact that you tried to kill him!" Tiamat retorted, earning herself a look of shock from the fallen._

 _"I-I don't blame her for that!" The prince interjected, his tone sincere and soft. "And even if it was… I forgive her. I forgive you, Raynare. It's okay…"_

 _"Riven…" She sniffed a bit, before her face grew an amount of red. "See? He likes me too!"_

 _"I never even said anything remotely close to that!" The prince whined out, but it seemed that his words were now falling on deaf ears._

 _"Well, I'm still not letting you be his lap pillow, end of discussion," at the end of her sentence, the dragoness stuck her tongue out at the fallen in a childish way, returned with the same gesture._

 _"Well, both of you may not know this, but I am his sister," Rias suddenly piped in, looking distraught and jealous. "Obviously, I should be allowed to do whatever I want with my brother, right?"_

 _"Seconded," the exorcist in the room raised his hand, earning wide-eyed looks from everyone else besides Rias. "It's true, ain't it? She's his family. And for f**k's sake, get in the god damn house, already! You'll let the flies in!"_

* * *

After that, it had been a long argument that Freed couldn't even keep count on anymore.

To Issei, he was just as jealous of Riven as much as he was terrified as to how fond the girls here were of him. Even Asia, whom the prince had just met recently, had grown to like him over the week, with Xenovia and Akeno being the same way. He could somewhat understand Koneko, but he—alongside everyone else—were taken aback by how vocal she was against the others.

Looks like she _really_ likes Riven, if the blushes sent his way weren't any indication.

"You know, you could always settle this with a simple game or something," Freed suddenly suggested, sipping from a new can of orange soda before speaking once more. "I don't know, play chess or Monopoly? Or hey, how about Rock-Paper-Scissors or tic-tac-toe? I don't know, just settle with something already. Your argument's giving me a headache…"

So they thought on his words. Chess would take too long, they knew that. And there were far too many people. Monopoly was out, since, again, there were way too many people. Tic-tac-toe was not met with agreements, so a good ol' Rock-Paper-Scissors it is.

And so, after a dreaded long game of Rock-Paper-Scissors—everyone besides Mittelt participated in it—lo and behold, Rias had emerged the victor. And thus, her lap became Riven's next lap pillow. The other girls were envious, that except Mittelt. She was Raynare's fan.

"So, my sweet little brother," Rias cooed, thread her fingers through the prince's hair. It brought back memories when they were still children, and she couldn't hold back the warm smile from surfacing. "How does it feel?"

"To be honest, it kinda' feels nice…" Riven had his eyes closed, and a tiny smile grew on his face. This lead to the other girls' enviousness growing bigger and Rias blushed to this. 'If it weren't for the tension in the air, I might actually enjoy this even more…'

The air was thick. Too thick, he thought he wouldn't be able to breathe.

"Man, how does he have that many girls swooning over him?" Issei sweat-dropped, his expressions a cross between interest and envy. He l "Man, I want to be a harem king, but if there's already so many girls around Riven, I doubt I'd have any chance…"

"Ah, cheer up, bud," Freed smiled at the brunette, gesturing his thumb to himself. "Look at me. I don't have a harem, and I'm happy. So is Kiba and Gasper."

"Indeed. I'm fine as things are," the blond boy's smile was just as sincere as ever, constantly flashed at the girls at school, and even on occasion.

"Yeah, well, at least you get some attention. The most I get is a beating from the Kendo club girls…" The brunette sighed, head lowered in shame.

"Maybe if you tone down your perverseness, then you could make for a decent enough to get a girlfriend," Tiamat scoffed. Issei, upon hearing this, gawked at her words, his subconscious crossing his arms over his shattered heart.

"T-That's a bit too harsh…" Asia gulped, looking somewhat sympathetic with the brunette. "I-I'm sure Issei-san can get a girlfriend."

"A-Asia…" The boy cried, comical tears as he looked at his light of hope.

"Maybe, but the chances are close to zero," Freed's cold words instantly broke the boy's spirits. "Don't get me wrong, not trying to play the Devil here, but just stating the cold, harsh facts."

"All of you suck..!" The [Boosted Gear] wielder whimpered, head in his hands.

"Good to know," the exorcist snickered, drinking from a new can. This time, the label showed a cherry with bubbles in the background.

"Hang on a minute. Freed, how many drinks have you actually taken from the fridge by now?" Kalawarner perked up, eyes leered at her former comrade.

"Oh, don't worry, this is my last one. Which makes this…" He began counting in his mind. "Three cans, I think."

"Oh my God…" The busty fallen face-palmed, pulling her face downwards as she moved her hand. "We should really ban you from touching the fridge…"

"Any objections?" His question was met with either shrugs or passive looks. He smirked at this. "It seems that no one minds. Motion denied!"

"Well, I do! I've been saving that drink you're so enjoying since two days ago!" Kalawarner hissed, forming a purple light spear in her hands.

"No fighting in the house, please," Tiamat politely spoke up, noticing the look of fear on her liege's face. When the fallen put away her weapon, she was met with a silent 'Thank you' by the prince, much to her pleasure.

*Kring!*

Hearing his phone ringing like no one's business, he rose from his little lie-down, making his way towards the table, taking it and accepting the call.

"Hello?" He answered, with a pause in the middle. "Ah, really? I see…Oh, what, now? Hmm, if you say so. Okay, I'll tell him. Bye," Riven hung up the call and sighed.

"What's up?" Kiba asked, everyone curious as to who called Riven and why. Apparently, anything that had anything to do with him was exciting or interesting, in its own way.

"Oh, it's nothing. Father called, saying that he and Mother will be running a little late," the prince informed, shifting his gaze to Tiamat. "Welp, looks like we'll be eating without them."

"If you say so," the blue-haired dragon nodded.

And then…

"Well Riven, want to lie down again?" Rias invited with a smile, and this lead to an all out argument between her and the other girls.

Again.

"Rias! Don't just keep him to yourself! What about us?!" Raynare shouted, displaying absolute determination. She was not going to lose this fight.

"Ara ara~! Rias, you wouldn't mind if you shared now, would you?" The black haired Queen may have been smiling, but her killing intent was strong, scarily strong. It materialised as thunder and a black, malicious aura around her. The guys sat a bit far away from her.

To be honest, he didn't know why she was so interested in him. He knew for a fact that their interactions hadn't been that long. Sure, three weeks is pretty long, but it was far shorter compared to his time with Rias or Tiamat.

"Rias, no fair! I want him too!" Asia pouted, her eyes nearly wet with tears. Aww, she was co cute too.

"Like hell! If anyone's being his lap pillow, it's me!" Rainier perked up as well, black wings erupted into the air and dropping feathers onto the floor.

Ever since the church incident, he noticed just how affectionate she had been towards him. Her advancements had made him wonder whether she truly liked him, or—he didn't want to doubt her, but Tiamat's words still rung clear in his mind—she was just trying to make up for what happened then. He really didn't know.

The girls continued on with their argument, while Riven decided to just leave for the bathroom, ready to empty himself of waste products, if you know what I mean.

Hashtag science jokes are the best.

* * *

Underworld

"So let me get this straight. You wish to take our daughter's hand, in exchange for your support?" Zeoticus raised an eyebrow at this.

No longer being the Lucifer meant that he had free time to do whatever he wanted. However, personal matters were necessary for him to see through. And marriage between an heir of another household with his daughter was definitely a personal thing for him.

The Phenex household, with its heir being Riser Phenex. The family was very well known, mostly due to the fact that they were the main benefactors of the all-famous 'Phoenix Tears', known to heal any wound at an incredible rate. But if that wasn't noteworthy, it was the fact that the family had the natural ability to regenerate at a fast pace which made them pretty famous.

As of earlier, he had received a call from the head of the family, Rika Phenex, the father of Riser. He and his wife, Layla Phenex, had stated their desire to have their youngest son marry with their daughter.

So, they decided to have a little talk. This is where they are now.

"Indeed. Of course, we are willing to offer you a plentiful amount of our funds, as it would undoubtedly help you," Rika smiled, straightening his posture as he sat. He blond hair, just like his sons. Dressed in a white suit underneath a black vest, as well as the blue business pants, it was easy to take him for a sort of entrepreneur of sorts.

"And with it, we hope that the bonds between the Gremory and Phenex household would bolster even strongly," Layla added with her own pretty grin. She was admirably beautiful, looking just as her youngest daughter, with the same hair colour and eyes. She possessed a more elegant poise, though, and wore a purple gown with crystal heels.

"Of course…" Was what the father said on the outside, but his mind had immediately felt himself betraying his daughter. 'She won't like the sound of it… considering she likes Riven already…'

You heard him right. He knows that his daughter loves her brother. Now, how is this so? Simple.

Right after Riven departed for Assiah with his family and Familiar, the family had returned to their own mansion, ready to turn in for the day. And yet, she had made an oath, looking so hell-bent as she shouted, as loud as she could, wearing nothing more than just her sleeping gown.

 _'I'll be the best wife there is for Riven!'_

While they had taken it as a crude or innocent joke, it seems that she was honest about it all, admitting of how she wished that he could fall in love with her back, and that they could be wedded like any other couples.

She was a quite shy girl back in the day. For her to suddenly have a strong sense of bravery in admitting such a thing only solidified the fact that she was entirely serious about her own declaration.

Ever since then, Euclid had basically dubbed her as the 'Bro-con Heiress', much to his step-parents' dismay. They thought having Sirzechs, who had a complexity towards her, was enough.

What next? Euclid aiming for his own sister?

It did happen. But Grayfia did not take it kindly. The maids had to calm her down before she basically blew him up with magic.

"Well then, I suppose we'll be taking our leave. We'll discuss this even further afterwards," Rika and his wife gave a curtsey, mirrored by Zeoticus and Venelana. It was only after the two of the Phenex heads left did a groan escape the Gremory head's lips.

"Rias won't forgive me for this…" He gulped at the thought. While she was such a lovely girl with her own family, she could be pretty merciless when she wanted to be.

"It's alright dear. Riven's in Kuoh, remember? I have high doubts he'll just turn a blind eye to this," his wife's reassurance did much to raise his spirits once more. "Besides, though Riser can regenerae and the like, Satan's fire is bound to make that go away. Riven is incredibly strong, dear. Have some faith in him."

"I don't just have some faith in him, Venelana," his statement was later followed with a proud smile. Off in the distance, on the shelf to the side of his office, there was a picture of the whole family, and Riven stood innocently in the centre. "I have full faith in him."

* * *

Riven's Home—Evening

After having dinner, everyone decided to do whatever they could think of to pass the time. Riven's parents had returned, but they went straight for bed. The ceiling vibrated a bit, and everyone could tell what was going on.

If that wasn't enough indication, the sound of the bed's springs squeaking, as well as the bedposts pounding against the wall would be enough.

They weren't, however, ready to listen in on their shouts and moans, so the prince casted a vacuum surrounding his parent's room, disabling sound to escape it.

"You know, I can't help but feel that someone was talking about me," Riven, feeling suspicious, looked around him, his eyes leering the whole way.

"I don't doubt it. You're so popular back at school, it's not hard to imagine anyone not talking about you…" Issei sighed, wallowing in self-pity.

"That's true, Riven-nii! I've even heard news about them beginning to call you 'angelic prince'!" Gasper added his two cents, earning a look of dissatisfaction from his senpai.

"Indeed. My classmates, when discussing about you amongst themselves, tend to refer you as such," Kiba joined in the conversation, the smile he had offering plenty of reasons why he was dubbed the 'Handsome Prince of Kuoh Academy'.

"Hmm… Nah, it doesn't fit me well," he shook his head. "They call me 'angelic', but I'm nothing of the sort."

"You sure about that? You've got a whole lot of good qualities," Freed spoke next, waving his hand lazily in the air. "High intellect in class, a whole lot of skills, super friendly, and blessed with good looks. What's there not angelic about you?"

"It's the fact that I'm a _demon_ …" Riven deadpanned, immediately adding in. "Literally."

"True that. Your dad's Satan, right? I suppose I can see your point, but it still doesn't take the cake!" The wielder of the [Boosted Gear] adopted a firm look.

"Yeah, but I'd rather the title be something that can be related to me…" He hummed in thought, closing his eyes for a moment.

The keywords were there, but they were constantly used that it sounded like it was losing its amazingness. He just has to use something else to replace the words, and he'd have it immediately.

Instantly, the word 'angelic' was taken out, replaced with 'demonic'. Now that sounded better. Plus, it was accurate about him. He was his father's son, after all. Then there was the matter of the last word; 'prince'. Constantly worn to be entitled for some other hot-looking students at school, and he felt it somewhat dumb to use it over and over again. He needed to end the cycle with something else.

'What could it be… Royalty? Nah, too much. Exalt? Wait, no, I'm not in Ylisse… Noble? Urgh, too snobbish-sounding…' He continued thinking, scrambling words to his extensive knowledge on the language here and there, until the answer finally clicked in. "Aha!"

"That was quick," the brunette blinked, thoroughly surprised. It had only been a whole minute since he started thinking.

"So, Riven-kun? What is your new title?" The blond devil asked, looking curious.

"Easy…" He snapped his fingers, adopting a look fitting for a prince. "It's a surprise."

"Ehh? That's not fair!" The perverted of the five males cried out. "Why can't you at least share it with us, man?"

"The surprise'll make it better," Gasper nodded, possibly understanding his senpai's logic behind this. "Well, since you're remaking your title, I think it'll sound it cool!"

"Yup, and we'd better make the change for that," his statement was met with weird looks.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Kiba asked.

"Don't worry yourselves about that. I just need to make a phone call," he smiled, punching numbers into his phone's dial and setting it to his phone, ignoring the curious gazes from the other boys.

* * *

Kuoh Academy—Student Council Room

"Uurgh, this is so tiring…" Saji slumped forwards on his desk, face stretched as he let loose a tired yawn. He was a blonde who wore the Kuoh Academy's male students uniform.

"Don't be slacking off, Genshirou. We still have plenty of work to finish," his fuka-kaichou, Tsubaki Shinra, chided, carrying a stack of printed forms to her desk.

"Hai…" He tiredly nodded, jolting from his slump when the phone on his desk rang to life. He cleared his throat and picked it up. "Hello, this Saji Genshirou, Secretary to Kuoh Academy's Student Council. How may I help you?"

" _Yes, I have a request to make of you, if possible,_ " when the voice came forth, the secretary's eyes went wide.

"Wait a minute… Is that you, Riven?" He asked in a hushed voice, responded with a loud 'Hello!' from the prince. "Quiet..! You can't make too much noice, or—Hang on, why are you even calling me..?!"

" _Yeah, well, here's the thing. You know how Kiba has his title in school?_ " His question was met with a bored groan.

"Yeah, I know. 'Handsome Prince' my ass… So noble and so kind, it's like he's so perfect or something…" He snorted, not bothering to hold back his insults towards the other blond devil. He never did like that guy.

" _Well, here's the thing. It seems that I've recently gotten a new title, and I only recently heard about it from a friend of mine just now,_ " Riven began explaining. " _They called me the 'angelic prince', so I have a request to make._ "

"Well, if it's in my power, of course," Saji straightened his back, resuming the call. "So, what can I do for you?"

" _Simple. I need you to make a bunch of notice and paste them on the notice boards. On it, you're going to write whatever is written on this picture,_ " his phone beeped for a moment. He paused the call, checking for what message he received. It was a photo of a long-written essay. " _Print as much as possible, and make sure the word spreads._ "

"Okay, but why do you care so much?" He couldn't lie, he was a tad bit curious about it. He knew Riven wasn't one for details like this, so to think that he made a request to him about something such as this must mean something.

" _I'd rather have a title that reminds me of who I really am. A_ demon _, my father's son. Plus, 'prince' is overused, so I'm going for a fresh start,_ " he could hear his friend's chuckle. " _So, can you do it?_ "

"Yeah, sure, I'll help you out. Expect the change by tomorrow," he smirked, excited to see the responses from the students the next day. He hung up the call, clicking on an icon of a page with a pen and beginning to type. "Well, thankfully that my typing is fast enough. Let's get this over with…"

* * *

"Seriously? You called Saji of all people?" Issei's eyes closed shut into lines, possibly demanding answers.

"He's a good person. Don't worry," Riven offered a smile, earning a sigh afterwards. "Well, I hope he awakens his own SacredGear soon."

"Wait, he has a SacredGear too?" The brunette perked back to life, somewhat surprised.

"Indeed. I can sense a part of Vritra's soul inside him, so I have no doubts that it's possibly one of Vritra's SacredGear," he began, chuckling at his friend's look of confusion. "Vritra, like Tiamat, is one of the Dragon Kings. However, his soul was split into four, each locked in separate SacredGears. There's four that exists so far; [Absorption Line], [Blaze Black Flare], [Delete Field] and [Shadow Prison]."

"Geez, I can't believe you memorized all of them… And that's just SacredGears, not history of the devils…" The brunette slumped in disappointment, earning a pat to his shoulder from the blonde.

"Well, it was easy for me because I've lived five to six years in the Underworld, so I had a lot of time to learn it all," Riven shrugged. He casted his eyes towards the windows, realizing then that it was slowly turning to night. "Umm, maybe you guys should go home. It's getting pretty late…"

"Oh, nah…" Issei shrugged with a comfortable smile. "I called my mom earlier, and she said it was fine for me to stay over."

"Agreed. Lady Rias told me that we'd be sleeping over at your home, and I'll say that I would enjoy it as such. It is comfortable," Kiba placed the pillow he held onto earlier beside him.

"What? But our house doesn't have enough space," the prince blinked.

It was indeed true; their house only had two bedrooms, one of which belonged to him and Tiamat, and the other for his parents. There was no way they could just sleep in the living room. It wouldn't be fair!

"And that's why," Rias suddenly appeared, descending the stairs with a light grin. "We've renovated your home."

"Oh, well that makes things easy…" The boy nodded in a daze, a happy smile that soon turned to an expression of shock as he raced to his sister, the latter jumping back with a yelp. "Wait, you renovated the house?!"

"N-No! That's not what I meant!" At her words, her brother had calmed down by just a bit. "Well, yes, that's what I meant, b-but—"

"God forbids me from swearing at a girl, but damn it, Rias. What do you mean?" Freed was never one for patience, looking at her with an unamused stare that seemed to make her shrink.

"I-I meant that… We _did_ renovate your house, but we didn't actually touch your house…" Her explanation drew brows to raise in questioning, eyes on her that indicated that they wanted answers. "We built extra floors to this house, but they go down into the earth."

"Whoa, that's cool!" Issei jumped from the couch, looking boosted all of a sudden, energy-wise. "Can we check it out?!"

"After we learned of when you did this in the first place," Riven added quick, giving his sister a soft look. "Seriously, when did you renovate the house?"

"While you and the boys were talking," she answered, adopting a thoughtful look after a moment. "Well, that, and Gasper was with us. We were watching the devils doing work, and we were lucky enough that it didn't take too long. I had long expected that we'd be staying with you."

"Oh, joy…" He sighed, perking up right afterwards. "Hang on, what do you mean by _we_?"

"My peerage and I will be staying with you, of course," she smiled, responded with a gawk from her younger brother. "Oh, don't fret, brother. Mother and Father said that they were fine with it."

"It's not _that_ that I'm worried about… What would Father and Mother say..?" His question was met with a questioning look from her. "Oh, sorry. I meant my parents. You know, since your parents are technically my step-parents and all."

"Ah, I understand," she nodded well. "But I doubt your parents would mind much. Come, I'll show you what has been added."

With not much of a choice, he, Freed, Issei and Kiba followed the redhead up the stairs, taking a left down a corridor—this was definitely not there the first time—until they reached what seemed to be an elevator door.

"Riven," she called, pointing to a paper on the wall.

The prince stepped close to her, inspecting what this paper was. Apparently, it was a layout of the floors underneath the house—the ones that had been added. It was connected to the second floor of the bungalow through an elevator, which he assumed was the one they were standing before.

The layout showed five floors below, all of which held different rooms. The first one was the bedding area, somewhat like a hotel corridors with multiple rooms, one each for everyone. The second floor was a library—this got Riven excited, as he'd have a good source of books if he'd ever get bored. The one after that was a bathing area, with a hot spa that would undoubtedly be enjoyed by the females—he could tell that Issei would enjoy it in another way. The fourth one was, surprisingly enough, a training chamber, designed with all sorts of mechanisms so that anyone could train depending on how they wish to. And the last one…

"Wait… 'S.C'?" He pondered on why, of everything there, this one was merely reduced to an abbreviation. Each floor had a title, yet this one was… Oh! "I get it! 'Security Cameras'! So you've put a security place here, huh?"

"S-Sure," she was lucky enough that he didn't notice the sweat that dripped the side of her face at her lie.

"Nice," he grinned. "So, is everyone in their rooms right now?"

"Yup. I'm not too sure if they're already asleep, but probably will be soon enough," everyone else noticed the way she discreetly blocked the notice with her body now. "Well, Riven, I suppose you'd need to get to sleep already?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," he nodded, calling out. "Hey, Tiamat! Come on, we should get to bed already."

"Coming!" Her voice rung from the kitchen.

"Wait, you guys sleep together?" Issei looked bewildered for a moment there, just realising it now.

"Yeah, we share a room," the prince nodded. "But of course, we use different beds."

"But what about Freed then?" Kiba's question brought his, Rias's, and Issei's eyes onto the exorcist himself.

"I just sleep on the couch," he blew a raspberry as he crossed his arms behind his back. "It's actually not bad. Way better than on the pews during my time at the church."

"I keep telling him that I can share my bed with him, but he never listens…" The prince sighed.

"Alright, I'm here," Tiamat appeared, a look of satisfaction on her face. "So, what were all of you talking about?"

"Not much. Rias-nee had apparently renovated the house with Mother and Father's permission," he said briefly. "Hang on, does Freed at least have a room for himself?"

"There's extra," Rias nodded.

"Welp, better get moving then," the exorcist moved to the elevator, clicking on the console and hearing the movement of the elevator.

"Wow, you really didn't hold yourself back when she said you'll get your own room…" Issei sweat-dropped.

"Not to sound rude, Riven, but if I can get a bed, I ain't missing the chance," he crossed his arms with a look of defiance.

"N-No, I don't mind…" The prince shook his head. "Well, night, guys."

"Good night," everyone else waved back, stepping into the elevator—Tiamat and Rias exchanged glares at each other for a brief while, watching as Riven and his Familiar leave for their own room.

* * *

The Next Day

 **"Good morning, children!"** Satan greeted everyone with a loud bellow, watching as they stepped into the enlarged dining area. It seemed that Sirzechs had made extra renovations on their house while they were asleep.

Now, they were still in a bungalow, but it was bigger. The dining and TV area, as well as the kitchen were expanded.

 **"We had a pretty good night ourselves. How about you?"** He asked, oblivious to their collective cringes.

"Good as well," Kiba spoke for his friends, sparing them of the awkwardness to answer the prince's father's question. "So, what will we be having?"

"Pancakes, with a side of chicken strips and scrambled eggs, as well as hot strawberry tea," Riven's voice rung from the kitchen, accompanied with the sounds of sizzling and hot combustion. Pans being shifted here and there could be heard as well.

"Wait, Riven's cooking?" Rias mentally drooled, knowing how delicious his cooking was during his time back at home.

"Raynare, Kala and Tiamat are helping him out as well," Yuri informed, taking a seat beside her husband. "The girls were pretty excited to help him. I can only wonder why~!"

 **"Being a handsome demon has its perks, dear,"** he smirked, expertly holding his cup's handle and drinking his own tea. **"I'm just hoping that he doesn't get a harem. It was my wish, originally."**

"So it is safe to assume that you're getting bored with me?" The woman raised an eyebrow, her husband whimpering in guilt.

 **"N-No! No no no! I'm happy with you by my side! I really am!"** He spluttered, the pleading tone mastered through the years.

"Alright, we're here!" Riven finally appeared into view, bringing with him a tray of plates with foods, as well as a teapot. "Kala, bring the cups over. Ray, bring over the cutlery. Tiamat, check if there's any mail in the letterbox."

"Right, / Coming! / As you say," all three girls got to work, unsurprisingly working hard. Possibly to please the boy, which he himself doesn't realize.

After had been done, the human-demon halfbreed, his family and friends dug into his work, and the satisfied and ever-hungry looks on their face only motivated him further to better his cooking expertise. It didn't take long for everything to be finished.

"Damn, Riven! I didn't know you were a chef!" Issei wiped his lips with his own napkin, a wide smile plastered on his face. "Man, if I knew you could make good food, I would've come over at any time!"

"…Riven-senpai's dish tastes so much better than last time," Koneko spoke up, all eyes landing on her in interest.

"Really?" His question was met with a nod from the Nekomata. "That's good to hear. I was worried that I had grown rusty."

"It'll always be good, Riven-senpai…" She offered him a little smile, eliciting a gasp of shock from the brunette at the table. Immediately, her soft expression blanked. "What..?"

"Damn it, Riven! It's not fair that Koneko treats only you nicely!" Issei's words were met with a brutal overkill.

"You should have stopped being a pervert then… No wonder none of the girls at school liked you…" She backfired.

*Crack!*

"Kh..!" Issei could hear the mental sounds of glass shattering in the backgrounds, possibly ascertaining his broken heart.

She was really good with words.

"Anyways, you guys better get going to school. It's going to start soon," Freed spoke up, pointing a finger at the clock, all eyes following its trajectory. "You know how strict your Student Council can be."

"Uurgh… Don't remind me…" Issei groaned, face dug in his hands. "When she came to me after I survived beatings from the Kendo club, I thought I wouldn't be able to walk anymore…"

"What did she make you do?" Kiba asked, bringing his cup of newly poured tea to his lips afterwards.

"It was a series of punishments after another. Scraping gum off of tables, repainting walls with graffiti, and even cleaning the toilet bowls… I never sweated so much in my life…" His body shuddered, images of his horrid time back then flashing vividly in mind.

"Issei-senpai, do you still plan to go peeping on girls, then?" Gasper brought up a visible question. Everyone was curious what his response was, and all had fully expected for him to say—

"Nah," looks of utter bafflement were shot there and then. "I mean… It doesn't necessarily mean that I will stop forever, but… I promise to tone it down as much as I can."

"Well, looks like Japan's about to snow," Freed raised his hand, as if receiving something from the air. "I mean, Issei just said that he won't be a pervert. That means something."

"Oi, don't make that sort of joke!" The brunette yelled, raising balled fists towards the exorcist.

"You wanna' try me, punk? I basically have my own powers, just like Riven's no less. I can take you on any day," the threatening grin didn't faze his opponent, much to his thanks. He hated cowardice.

"Well, I'm going to awaken my own SacredGear in the future, and then you'll begging for mercy!" His comeback wasn't all that impressive, but it was something.

 **"Hey guys, talking about Freed awakening to his Persona, do you think it means that he's basically possessing part of Riven's SacredGear?"** When Eve's voice resonated from the cross-earring that hung from the prince's earlobe. **"Remember, Freed's Persona only appeared after Riven formed a contract with him. This could mean that Freed has absorbed part of [Royal Arcana], thus forming his own version of it."**

"So what would it be called then?" The topic of the conversation raised his arm like some student, his eyes shining with anticipation.

 **"Well, to put it simply, since you're basically Riven's 'Magician', why not just call this the [Magician Royal Arcana]? It's easy to understand, isn't it?"** The dragoness's suggestion was taken well by the 'Magician', earning a hum from him.

"Actually, yeah. This could be considered a sub-species of the original SacredGear, yeah?" A nod from his friend. "Well then, I'll take it. My own SacredGear!"

"Which is basically a cheap version of the original," Issei smirked at the way the 'Magician' gritted his teeth.

"You are so going to get it someday…" It took him every willpower just to restrain himself from tackling the perverted kid to the floor right now. His friend's parents were here, and he wouldn't want to ruin the house in the first place.

"Alright, we should get going now," the prince stood up, everyone else following suit. "So Ray, Kala, Mittelt, Freed, you guys will be staying here and help my parents out if they need anything, alright?"

"Of course," the four nodded back.

* * *

Kuoh Academy

*Mutters*

"Hey, did you read the notice board? / Yeah, I saw it was directly from the Student Council, / I like this new title much more than the old one! / And to think Riven-senpai made it on his own!" Winds of conversation travelled between the students, and each and every one of them held looks of surprise, adoration and confusion.

"What the heck? I didn't expect the news would be travelling too fast like this," Issei whistled, gaining looks of jealousy and shock as he walked beside Riven.

Who was also walking with the whole Occult club around him, as well as Tiamat.

"I seriously think that all this school is good for is rumours and the like…." He sighed once more, turning to his friend. "So Riven? What is your new title?"

"Let's find the notice board and read what it says then," he smiled, gaining a groan from the brunette. "Let's go."

Everyone decided that, with nothing much to do, they followed after the prince to the academy's notice board, where a massive crowd of students were gathering at.

"Eeeh! There's the prince himself!" A girl screamed, pointing her finger at Riven himself, with every boy and girl snapping to life, swapping their attention from the notice board to him.

"H-Hey…" He knew he wasn't going to get used to this attention. Not now, not ever. "Ah, I'd like to ask for something. Could you read what's written on the notice board for us? I'd like to know what I said. I forgot."

"I'll do it," the secretary of the Student Council appeared, ever in the same uniform. "Alright, please pay attention… Ahem."

 _'To the students of Kuoh Academy, I have recently made notice that I possess a title, recently formed by you yourselves. As such, I had decided to inspect what sort of title you have given me. However, I am, without offence, wishing to say that I do not very much find myself attached with the title. Rather, I have created a new title for myself, hoping to break the chains of 'princes' as I will forge my own legacy in this academy._

 _As from this day on, I ask that you refer to me, if you so wish to, as the 'Demonic Blue-blood'._  
 _Yours truly, Riven.'_

"Wow, sounds like a formal letter," Issei blinked a certain few times, somewhat taken aback at how smooth and fluent that simple notice flowed, and the fitting title his friend had created for himself. "And damn, you were right. It _does_ sound good!"

"Yup," the 'Demonic Blue-blood' nodded with a proud smile. "Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's get to our class."

And their student life resumed once more.


	14. Chapter 13

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

 _"For him, it was easy."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

 **"Here we go, guys!"** \- Inhuman Speech

 **'Hah, ignorance.'** \- Inhuman thoughts

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!* - Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 13: The Phenex and the Gremory=-

The Phenex clan, as we all know, are a well-respected clan due to their constant wins in Rating Games, thus climbing the ladder of popularity rather quick.

Their victory was all due to their heir, Riser Phenex. A young noble who, unsurprisingly enough, was a womaniser.

But of course, he didn't do everything alone. He had a peerage to back him up. And in his peerage, he had his sister be part of it.

So today, we shall take a short detour, and talk not of our young protagonist, but the sister to the heir of the Phenex clan.

"Mmhaa…" Slowly, she rose from her bed, scrubbing away the lingering effects of tire from her eyes. She yawned a bit, before stepping down, feet touching floor now.

She disposed all her clothes into a basket by her bathroom door, bringing with her a towel into the bathroom to start the day with a simple shower.

Posh was the definite word for such a simple room. With marble flooring and walls, with a grand mirror above the faucet, there was the shower area to her left, separated from the room with glass, and a tub to her right, white and clean, possibly built from quartz.

She had wanted a dip in the tub, but for now, she had settled with the shower.

*Pss!*

As the water from the shower head rained down on her, she took a bit of time to think on certain things. For one, she knew that her arrogant brother would be wedding the heiress of the Gremory household, much to the family's continued worry, and she could agree—all her brother was good at was defeating those that opposed him in Rating Games, and flirting with his own peerage, all of which were purposely female-based, including her herself.

The second thing was what tasks she would be doing soon. She had begged to be brought out of her brother's peerage, but her parents had stated that they'd rather not have her so, as she was still 'not skilled enough to walk on her own' and 'your brother can protect you'.

'As if…' She gritted her teeth, feeling a slight infuriation.

It was always a thing. Constantly, she was compared to her brother. And yet, despite all her efforts, he always does get everyone's praises, it was sickening.

While she was working hard to uphold her family's legacy, he was busy flirting with his peerage. While she was making sure that no one was getting hurt, he was off to fighting some random devils in the tavern. While she was making sure her brother's peerage was ready for anything, he was busy drinking away, always looking so smug.

"Why..?" The young girl finally voiced out, wondering why her brother was always getting the limelight. "Am I really that worthless..?"

Her brother never did anything! And it was because of that she was ticked off. He, while doing nothing, was always better at her. She would forever be weaker than him, for times to come.

*Pss… Tick…*

Turning off the shower, she left the bathroom, wiping away at her petite form with the towel she had brought with her. With that done, she moved to her armoire, withdrawing her favourite clothes. She put it on, and later moved to the large mirror on the wall to look at herself.

Blond hair tied in drills, a purple gown with dark maroon stockings up to her knees, this was Ravel Phenex, younger sister to the heir of the Phenex clan. She was short, with a lithe form, but it never stopped her from accomplishing great feats.

With that done, she moved on with the day.

* * *

"So Ravel, did you sleep well last night?" Her other brother, whom she liked more than Riser, asked.

He was a dashing man, with blond hair and blue eyes. One could almost mistake him for Riser, if not for the fact that he wears an outfit that spoke of nobility.

"It was fine…" She lazily answered, swirling her teaspoon in its cup, watching the contents twist in accordance to her spoon. It looked like a typhoon of sorts.

"Come now, you can't lie to me, and you know it," he chuckled, adding sugar to his cup. "You sound distressed, so tell me, what's troubling you?"

"It's nothing, Ruval-onii sama, really…" She was lying, he knew, but how there was a slight trace of hesitation in her tone, how it was begging for him to believe her, he had no choice but to do so.

"Alright, alright, I won't pry," he drank from his cup, savouring the way the sweetness of the sugar synthesised well with the fresh blend of tea. "Mmm, delicious. A good way to start the morning. You should drink yours as well, Ravel."

"If you say so…" She lazily drank her own. It was good, but her bad mood made it almost tasteless on her tongue. "So, what are you going to do afterwards?"

"Hmmm… I don't think I have any plans," he admitted with a chuckle. "How about you Ravel?"

"I'm not sure… I was going to visit Kuoh, where Riser-nii's fiancé is, but I'm not sure if I'll be welcomed there easily…" She sighed.

To be honest, she wanted to go there not to scout on the girl or whatnot, but anything just to get her away from her brother. She needed time to think, to relax.

"I doubt that," Ruval shrugged, a look of questioning shot at him following his words. "Well, maybe some of the devils will, but I know one person who wouldn't."

"And who's that?" She asked, gaining a smile from her brother.

"In that school, there is a person called the 'Demonic Blue-blood', and he's Lady Rias's younger brother," a gasp this time.

"Wait, she has another brother?!" Ravel basically cried out. She never knew! The only one she knew was Rias and Sirzechs, who was the current Devil Maou.

"Apparently, her parents took in the child when he was young, before he reunited with his true family," he explained, emptying his cup down his throat. "And I've heard rumours that he has a SacredGear that no one has ever seen before."

"Really?" That got her curious. What sort of SacredGear would it be then?

"Mmhm. And what's more, I've heard Sirzechs-sama speak of how the boy has formed a peerage of his own, without reincarnating," he added the last part quickly, met with another gasp.

"T-That's impossible! To make someone of your peerage, you _have_ to reincarnate them! It's using the Evil Pieces system!" She couldn't believe it. There was no way such feat is possible.

"True that, but he used a new system he calls the 'Tarot Peerage' system," he shrugged, offering a poise smile. "You could try seeing him. He's a very nice and sociable person, from what I've heard. He goes to the same school Lady Rias attends."

"I-I see…" She nodded, still not understanding what any of this meant. "Alright, if you say so."

"Mmhm. Have fun!" He rose from his seat, walking away to get on with his duties, if he even has any, that is.

'A Peerage without needing to reincarnate them? Now that is a must-see!' She nodded to herself, wanting to see what type of person this was.

She summoned a magic circle, stepping into it and letting it warp her to her destination.

* * *

Kuoh Academy

Upon reaching it, Ravel took some time to take in the view. It was clean, very beautiful, and absolutely lively. Lively, because—

"Get them!" A girl in what seemed to be a Kendo outfit—she had read magazines from the human world—yelled, holding a wooden sword as she rallied up her club members and began chasing after a bald kid and a glasses-wearing kid.

"Damn it! Where is Issei when you need him?!" The bald one yelled, letting his legs carry him forwards.

"Aargh, we are so dead!" The one with the spectacles cried out, he and his comrade shouting as they were being chased.

"W-Well, that's certainly _something_ …" She muttered to no one in particular.

"It sure is," a new voice, prompting her to jump away.

"W-What the—" Had this not been the human world, she would have attempted a fire spell. And yet, her voice fell the moment she took a moment to acknowledge this handsome being.

He was what seemed to be a human, with black hair, his bangs white. He was wearing the academy's white, long-sleeved dress shirt with the black blazer, with black pants and black leather shoes. Instead of the ribbon, as she had seen the other students wear, he wore a black tie, adding much to his dashing effect. He wore round, black-rimmed glasses, and a cross-earring dangling from his left earlobe.

"Welcome to Kuoh Academy. You must be new here?" He asked with a polite tone, instantly captivating the girl.

"I-I, uhh…" She lacked any words to say to this being. He was just a human, but he was just so… perfect! "A-Ah, n-no. No, I'm not a student here…"

"Oh, sorry for the mistake then," he smiled, looking past his shoulder to see two of the 'Perverted Trio' getting massacred. "Eesh… That's gotta' hurt…"

"What had they done to the girls to deserve such a beating?" For some reason she didn't understand, she felt that she could trust him.

"Those two are part of the 'Perverted Trio' in this school, and tend to peep on girls," he sighed at the end of his statement. "Of course, the girls don't like it that much, and would go out of their way to punish them, severely."

"Well, if that's what they have done, then I suppose they deserve it," she huffed, before turning to this stranger, a smile on her face. "Oh, and I apologise for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Ravel Phenex."

"Haha, don't worry. And I'm Riven Hirokami, by the way," he offered her his hand, of which she shook it. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"And the same is to you," she met his gentle smile with one of her own.

She left afterwards, returning to her family's home with a happy smile that she had, somehow, befriended such a nice human.

The boy, on the other hand, was genuinely surprised that the sister to the Phenex clan came all the way here, and just returned home just like that.

"Hey Riven!" He turned around, seeing Issei jogging towards him. "Who was that?"

"Ravel Phenex, sister to Riser Phenex, who's the heir to the Phenex clan," he answered, taking off his glasses and wiping the lenses with a white handkerchief he had in his pocket. "She seemed troubled, but I didn't want to pry into her matters. Could be personal."

"Eh, maybe… Oh yeah, Rias said she wanted to see you earlier," Issei had apparently gotten used to calling one of his school's 'Great Onee-sama's' by her name through Riven himself. "Something about her engagement, or something like that."

"Ah, that," he nodded, already understanding.

"Wait, you know?" The brunette asked, a tad bit confused.

"I'll explain it to you on the way, come on," they began walking towards the old building. "See, Ravel's brother, Riser, has asked for Rias-nee's hand. Apparently, she doesn't want to marry him, so she's been thinking of ways to break the engagement."

"Really? And why's that?" He was interested in what sort of person this Riser was.

"I've never met him eye-to-eye, but I have heard comments about him back when I was still in Gehenna," the prince took his glasses in hand, wiping it with a handkerchief before wearing them once more. "They say things like how he's arrogant, a snobbish noble, and likes to make fun of the weak."

"Wow, such a prick," Issei snarled, looking mad. "There's no way that Rias should be married to some guy like him. He doesn't deserve her."

"Yeah. So Rias is looking for ways to break the engagement," with his words said, he raised three fingers. "There's three ways for it to do so. "The first one, is that the two parties agree to a Rating Game, and the winner ultimately decides what he or she wishes to do with the contract. This includes breaking the contract in the first place."

"Okay, that sounds good… But what's a 'Rating Game'?" His friend asked.

"I'll talk about that next time," he responded. "Anyways, the second method is for the family to disown the selected member. Consider this, Rias-nee is the heiress of the Gremory household, right? So, if she were disowned by her family, this would immediately cancel the contract. Though, the process of being disowned or, the safer way, relegated, is to be handled by the Devil Elders, mostly by Zekram Bael, the only one in Gehenna so far to hold the rank 'Great King'."

"Whoa, that sounds cool…" The brunette muttered, immediately correcting himself. "I meant the fact about Zekram Bael! He must be a really powerful person. But I don't like the disownment thing."

"True. And there's no one else to take her place as heir, so relegation was out of the window," his remaining finger stood. "And the final one, Issei, is possibly the easiest. If one of the betrothed dies, no matter the reason, the contract will be automatically expunged."

"Oh, that sounds pretty—Like Hell!" His sudden outburst forced Riven to jump slightly. "Sure, maybe this Riser guy sounds like a dick, but there's no way he should die, right? And if he's not going to die, we are not letting Rias die!"

"Well, at least you and I share the same thoughts about that," the prince smiled, his expression slowly turning grim. "Rias-nee is being desperate, and I had to hide every books about marriage contracts away from her. I'm worried that, if push comes to shove, she won't hesitate to take her own life."

"Wow, that sounds intense…" Though they were technically step-siblings, the bond between Riven and Rias were so close, that they truly looked like siblings—though Issei knew the redhead was trying to make her sibling her own lover.

Of course, it only strengthened his resolve to break this marriage contract. A person's happiness meant more than just some foolish engagement.

And this was his best friend's sister they were talking about. If this made both him and his sister happy, he was more than up for it.

* * *

That Night

"So, Ravel, how was your trip to the academy?" Layla Phenex, dressed in a simple white dress with a necklace of pearls, asked, cutting into her steak with her knife.

"It was fine," she sounded much more happy now, everyone noticed, and she was eating more normally now. "After visiting the academy, I decided to do a little bit of training."

"Really? And what sort of _training_?" Riser smirked, earning himself a leer from his young sister.

"I was training my magic. If I am to be your 'Bishop', then I should be able to heal wounds easily," she answered, venom hinted when she said your.

"Of course. My peerage, you excluded, don't have Phenex blood in em', so they won't heal as great as we do," he shrugged. "Well, at least you're being useful."

"Tch," she clicked her tongue in annoyance, her mood now soured because of her brother. "Of course."

"Now, Ravel, no arguments at the table," Rika chided, a soft look on his face.

"Of course, father…" It wasn't fair! Riser was the one that started! Why was she the one that was getting scolded at?! "In any case, tomorrow, I will be spending most of the day at the academy where Lady Rias goes to."

"Ho? And why's that?" Ruval chipped in, his tone indicating that he already knew, but he just wanted to play along.

"I made a friend there," she smiled. "He's a human, but a very nice person. Much nicer than any other boys there. They are just so perverted…"

"Really? You sure you picked the right person to befriend, Rav?" She didn't like him calling her by that nickname. "He could be a lecherous person just as the other students are."

"Before you start accusing him of such, I know him for someone who isn't. He's a good person through and through," she inwardly smirked at her brother's annoyed look.

"And what's his name?" The mother asked.

"Umm… I think it was… Riven Hirokami?" Immediately, different reactions were shot here and there—Layla and Rika looked shocked, Ruval just smiled, and Riser was curious why his parents seemed to be that way. "What? Is there something wrong?"

"Wait, you still don't get it?" Ruval's answer was met with a shake of the head. "Ah, I see. Well, it's simple, dear sister. Riven Hirokami is, to put it simply, the 'Demonic Blue-blood' that I told you earlier."

"Wait, really?!" The girl herself was shocked. She already met Lady Rias's brother then!

"Mmhm. Riven's a powerful person, being half-human half-demon," he began. "His father is Satan, the king of demons who participated in the Great War years ago."

"R-Really?" Her mind was slowing down, unable to process all the information she was receiving as well as she usually would. So Riven was actually Satan's son, Rias's sister, and the boy she met earlier? "H-How strong is he?"

"Ravel," she turned to her father, who had a look of genuine shock. "He made Tiamat, the Karma Chaos Dragon, his _Familiar_."

Now Riser himself joined in on the gasping.

"No way! No such weakling should be able to turn someone as strong as her into his Familiar!" The Phenex heir couldn't believe it.

"There's a few things that you're wrong about, brother," the other male of the three siblings chuckled, giving his siblings a look of knowing. "He's not one to anger. He's a very powerful person who has achieved all sorts of feats. Do not look down on him."

"Hmph. No one is stronger than Riser," the younger male huffed. "Oh, and mother, father? We're going to go see her tomorrow, right?"

"Indeed," Rika nodded. "Bring with you your peerage. Discuss the engagement with her, understood?"

"Very well," he nodded.

* * *

'So he was Lady Rias's brother…' Ravel found herself somewhat difficult to fall asleep, as her mind constantly raced back to the picture of the handsome boy she met. 'What kind of peerage does he have..? And his SacredGear..?'

There were nights that she didn't sleep well, mostly nowadays.

However, tonight, with much time spent on thinking about the human-demon halfbreed, she fell asleep, peacefully.

* * *

The Next Day

"Riven Hirokami," the boy perked up when his teacher called out his name. "It seems that you have a visitor. She is waiting for you at the cafeteria."

"Alright," he nodded, standing up. "Oh, and can Tiamat and Issei come with me?"

"…" The teacher casted a calculating glare on the other two students, quickly accepting his request when the dragoness sent him a spine-chilling leer of her own. "O-Of course. They may go with you."

Nodding his thanks to the teacher, the three made way to the cafeteria, met with several stares from the other students. Girls had squealed whenever his eyes landed on him, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

 **'The attention too much for you?'** Eve chuckled in his mind.

'It's hard, to be honest. I was hoping to just be part of the background, but I suppose dreams like that never happen,' he hummed in his mind.

 **'Obviously. You're so perfect!'** Her giggle drew a sigh from him. **'Oh, and just to let you know, the girl from yesterday? She's visiting you again, it seems.'**

'Really? Ravel Phenex?' He asked, answered with a hum. 'Huh. I wonder what's so interesting about me that she's coming again.'

 **'A lot of things,'** the dragoness deadpanned, before she spoke with her cheerful tone once more. **'Well, have fun, milord!'**

'Mmhm,' he made a turn to the left, now arriving at the cafeteria with his two friends.

"So… Where is she?" Issei looked around. "The teacher said we'd meet her here, right?"

"Should be," Tiamat chimed in, sniffing the air. "Wait, I can sense her… She… went to the Occult club."

"To meet my sister? Hmm, I wonder…" The prince narrowed his eyes for a bit, before they widened in understanding. "Ah, now I get it. Riser is probably discussing the engagement thing with Rias-nee right now, considering that she's his fiancé."

"Wait, how come we don't know then?" The question was a good one.

"Must be a last-minute change. She probably did want to meet me, but seeing that I was late, she was needed to go with her brother," the prince sighed. "Alright, let's go."

"Right," both of his friends answered in unison. And so they made their way towards the Occult clubroom. After a few minutes of walking, prince, human and Familiar reached the entrance to the building, when suddenly—

"I WON'T MARRY YOU, RISER!" The screaming of a certain red-haired lass could be heard from the room where they were in.

"Wow, she must _really_ hate him…" The brunette sweat-dropped.

"You tell me," the prince gulped.

After a moment of blinking, Riven, Issei and Tiamat made their way into the building, knocking on the entrance into the room.

*Knock!* *Knock!*

"Come in," Akeno called out.

* * *

Occult club

Rias sat on a couch opposite of Riven, with a certain man beside her, someone who she clearly wasn't really liking—Issei immediately didn't like him as well. The prince knew who he was.

The man was Riser Phenex, heir to the Phenex clan. He was a tall young man, maybe in his early 20's, with short blonde hair and dark blue eyes. He wore a red blazer with gold embroidery on the right with matching pants and black dress shoes. Underneath his open blazer is a white dress shirt with one button unbuttoned, giving a slight view to his chest.

"H-Hello, Lord Riven," the prince turned to his right, seeing Ravel sit there, an apologetic look on her face. "First and foremost, I'd like to apologise for not meeting you at the cafeteria earlier…"

"Oh, it's alright," he smiled back, taking off his glasses and putting it in his case, before pocketing it. "So, has anything happened while we were away?"

"Nothing much," Kiba answered, waving at the prince before returning to his book.

Akeno appeared, holding a tray of teacups and a teapot, and placed said tray onto the coffee table in the centre. She proceeded to pour tea into a cup and serve it to the man, despite not really feeling up to it. Riven could sense that behind the sweet smile she had showed off, she was in truth masking her murderous intent.

Riser took a sip from his cup, smiling shortly after.

"Mmm. Your 'Queen' makes quite the tea, Rias," the man complimented.

"Why, thank you," the fuka-buchou bowed with her smile still present, but she was clearly disgusted with the man.

Riven looked to his friend beside him, able to sense a slight sense of anger welling up inside him. Truth be told, he didn't like Riser all that much as well, but he was needing to keep calm. Play the role of peacemaker, if possible. If not, then, he'd have to do things as a brother would.

"Damn it, Riser! I said I will not marry you!" She exclaimed as she stood from her seat, disgusted when the Phenex heir had moved his hand closer down her thigh. Riven looked into the eyes of Riser, knowing full well that the dastard was still going to get her hand no matter what.

"But Rias, dear. You know that this is for the good of our households' future, right?" he asked, smugly. It clearly took an effect, as she bit the inside of her cheek, looking somewhat unsure

"Look, I understand but…" She looked away for a moment, thinking of the person she truly loved. She couldn't dare to look at Riven directly, lest everyone gets the message immediately, so she only casted a brief glance at him, before looking back to Riser. "You have my word, Riser. I will take someone's hand."

"Well then Rias, I—" The Phenex heir began speaking, but was interrupted once Rias raised her hand towards him, asking him to cease talking.

"BUT! I will choose who I want to marry, Riser! And that is final!" She exclaimed. Riven could see that the members of her peerage agreed with what she said earlier. Looks like they REALLY didn't like the guy.

Oh, and Issei too. He was smirking when Riser grew annoyed.

"Sir, excuse me?" Riven called, and immediately Riser shifted his attention to the prince.

"Hmm?" The blond man turned to the prince, eyebrow raising a bit. "You must be Riven Hirokami, correct? Son of Satan? The rumoured 'Demonic Blue-blood of Kuoh Academy'?"

"Y-Yeah," he nodded, but still felt that he didn't have to mention the title. "In any case, I'd like to ask you. Why are so desperate in taking my sister's hand?"

"As I said before, it's for the good of devil kind," he shrugged, plopping his right leg over his left. "You know about the Great War, correct?"

"Of course. The war between the three factions, ultimately ending with the lost of many lives. The devils took it heavily, as they lost many of their pureblooded devils," Riven nodded, recounting his knowledge of the story. "In any case, you're taking Rias-nee's hand because it is for the task of re-population, so that the number of pureblooded devils can be restored once more?"

"Indeed," he nodded. "The thing is, devils use the 'Evil Pieces' system to reincarnate other races into devils, right? Well, it may work, but it's not like they're all that powerful. For example, look at that friend of yours beside you. He may be a half-devil, but it's not like he's all that great."

"Oh, really?!" Issei stood up, looking ready to blow a fuse. "Well, how about we talk with our fists, and—"

"The battle will not be fair, because Issei is not a half-devil, nor is he part of any peerages," Riven interrupted, earning a questioning look from Riser.

"Then why the hell does he even know about devils?" Riser asked, eyes leered.

"I told him," Riven admitted, gaining particularly looks of curiosity from Ravel. "The thing is, Issei has a SacredGear inside of him, a Longinus-class no less. It was necessary to tell him beforehand, just in case."

"Yeah!" Issei piped in, looking confident. "And I'll make sure to awaken my SacredGear, and kick your chicken ass!"

"Tch, how annoying…" Riser muttered under his breath, before giving a look of smugness. "If you really think that you're that strong, why not test yourself against my peerage?"

*Snap!*

Right after Riser snapped his fingers, a magic circle appeared behind him. Just soon after, a group of girls appeared, apparently his peerage members.

"W-What the heck..?" Issei blinked, looking surprised. "Dude, all your peerage members are girls."

"So?" He scoffed, standing up and walking to his 'Queen'. "You should know that I have a peerage as beautiful as them, because I am a powerful devil. Nothing like you, of course."

"Ooh, I've had it!" Issei walked increasingly closer to Riser, until he was stopped by a girl with a mask. "What the hell?"

"You will not touch Riser-sama, no matter what," she warned, bringing herself into a stance.

"Don't Issei," Riven's eyes narrowed in worry. "She's a 'Rook', bestowed with amazing raw power, just like Koneko. You're not fit to take her on."

"Tsk, damn it…" Issei clicked his tongue, walking back and sitting beside Riven.

"Hah, I knew you didn't have the balls to do it. Plus, with you not being in a peerage, it just solidifies how weak you are. No one probably wanted to," he laughed, tick marks growing on Issei's head.

"You may be right. I don't have a peerage…" He balled his fist, before glaring daggers at the Phenex heir. "But I'll join Riven's peerage!"

"Wait, what?" Rias blinked, the brunette's words only clicking in after a while. "Wait, Issei! I wanted to make you into my peerage!"

"Yeah, well, sorry Rias. I've decided long ago then that I'm going to join Riven's peerage," he apologised, turning his whole body to look at her. "I hope you can forgive me for this."

"I-I…" She looked unsure, thinking hard. She had planned to put Issei into her peerage as her 'Pawn' for a long time now, but if he were to join Riven's peerage, she'd lose the chance to. And yet, the sigh that came afterwards indicated her acceptance. "Fine… Just make sure you don't hold my brother back, you hear me?"

"Yeah, of course!" Issei nodded, looking excited as he looked back to his friend. "Come on, let's do the contract thingamajig!"

"R-Right," Riven himself felt surprised that Issei wanted to join his peerage, but he decided to go with it if he so wanted to. But the real problem here…

Was that everyone else were watching so attentively, as if they were about to witness some form of miracle. Riser, his sister and peerage were the ones most curious about it, since everyone else had seen it before. But still the attention was pressuring.

"Okay, the give-and-take deal, right?" Issei moved his hand to his chin, scratching in thought before he snapped his fingers. "Got it! You'll help me grow stronger so to truly become the 'Red Dragon Emperor', and I'll help you out anytime you need it! Agreed?"

"It's a deal then," the prince nodded, taking Issei's hand, and allowed the contract to form.

* * *

I am thou, thou art I…  
Thou hast **acquired** a new vow.

It shall become the wings of **rebellion** that breaketh thy **chains** of captivity.

With the birth of the Chariot **Persona** ,  
I have obtained the **winds** of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…

* * *

*Khh!*

His cross-earring illuminated again, before it died down, the strength that accumulated in it fading away.

Again, everyone looked shocked, with Riser and his peerage, as well as Ravel, the most.

"I-It actually does work?!" Ravel gasped, unable to take in the information. "That makes no sense!"

"When has anything ever made sense?" Issei sniggered, proudly raising his right hand into the air for all to see. "And I am officially Riven's 'Chariot'!"

The magic circle on the back of his right hand had a picture of a king leading a chariot, being dragged by two differently coloured creatures—presumably lions. Close to the bottom edge of the magic circle, was the number seven in roman.

"Oh hey, Issei, I think we should awaken your SacredGear right now," the brunette looked to his new peerage leader with a questioning look. "I think I figured out how to do it."

"Ooh, really?! Finally!" He laughed, jumping for joy—literally—with his gaze still transfixed on his friend. "Come on, let's do it! I'm excited!"

"Alright, alright. Just stop bouncing, for one," he chuckled, with Issei following his commands immediately. "Alright, now outstretch your left arm," the [Boosted Gear] wielder did just that. "Alright, now to awaken it. Just think of the strongest being you can think of, and imagine his powers being your own."

"Really? Just do that?" Issei was met with a nod. "Okay then! Time to get this down!"

Closing his eyes, pictures of all sorts of entities flashed through his mind; humans, gods, monsters. And yet, none of them appealed to him. This went on, until he remembered of the dragon that resided in his SacredGear.

'Ddraig huh? Welp, no like I have any other choices!' He smiled, eyes still closed as the picture of the dragon flashed vividly in his mind.

*Khh..!*

Slowly, his left arm began shining a verdant glow, brightening the room beyond seeable. As such, everyone had to shield their eyes from the light. It was only after the light died down were they given a view of what sort of SacredGear the human weld.

And all were shocked.

For, in the place of his arm, there was now a red gauntlet, a green jewel in the middle with two golden spikes protruding from the side.

"Did it work..?" Issei asked, eyes still closed, before opening them, gasping at the sight of the SacredGear. "Oh my God! It worked! Haha!"

"Okay, that went splendidly," the prince whistled, running his fingers across his hair. "To be honest, I was seriously not expecting it to actually work."

"Oi, have some confidence at least!" The wielder of the [Boosted Gear] shouted.

"Not that I wasn't confident in you, Issei. I just didn't think the steps I told you would actually work," he shrugged. "Well, that's all there is. Welcome to my peerage, and congratulations on awakening your Longinus."

"Hehe, hell yeah! Now let's put my new powers to the test!" The brunette smiled, pointing his armoured finger at the Phenex heir. "Hey, I want to fight against one of your peerage members!"

Riser scoffed, and snapped his finger again. This time, one of his servants who was wearing a cheongsam and was his rook, whom Riven identified as Xue Lan, walked over until she was standing directly in front of Issei.

"Well, you want a shot at me, right? Come, show me how pathetic you really are," the female devil stood in a stance.

Not taking her insult very nicely, Issei rushed forwards, thrusting his left arm forwards, but missing her by a hair's length. Remembering closely on Riven's lessons, he ducked low, dodging her kick. He returned her attack with a right jab to her face, following it up with a kick to her shin, effectively lowering her to a kneel. He proceeded to uppercut her with his gauntlet.

"Guh!" She was sent backwards, the force enough to render her nose slightly broken, with blood seeping out of it.

"Yeah, call me weak! I'll give you even more!" The brunette cheered, crossing his arms with a look of satisfaction. "Man, I feel good right now."

"…Sadist," again, Koneko was never one to pass out the chances to insult her perverted senpai, much to his chagrin.

"…" Not saying anything at first, Riven muttered a simple chant under his breath, raising his arm towards the downed 'Rook's' way. Everyone wondered what was going on, until she suddenly began to glow, the bleeding stopping and her nose fixed. "So I'm doing well, okay."

"You can use healing magic? Impressive," Ravel smiled. When Riven looked at her, returning her gesture with his own, she had to look away, lest he saw her blush.

"Damn it… This isn't what I expected," Riser clicked his tongue in annoyance, before cracking his neck. "Hey punk, you may have bested my 'Rook', but I doubt you'd do even a scratch to me."

"Oh yeah? Let's see if your quote unquote 'prediction' is anything but false!" Riven's 'Chariot' took the challenge without hesitation, readying himself to fight. "Come at me!"

"If you say so!" Just as he was told to do so, the Phenex heir lunged forwards, fist raised and ready to smack the brunette. Unfortunately for him, Issei had a good mind to dodge the attack instead of blocking it.

However, Riser was a lot of things, one of them being smart.

He quickly dodged the 'Chariot's' own attack, before going in with a kick to the gut. The force behind it had sent Issei into a couch, spit and tiny amounts of blood leaking out of his lips.

"O-Okay, I'll give you that one, but that doesn't mean you're perfect..!" He forced out, Riven stepping near him and healing him with his magic.

"Please be a tad bit careful," the prince sighed, continuing his work until all signs of the battle was gone. "The furniture's expensive, no doubt."

"Nuh-uh! I'm going to win against that fried chicken, even if it means the last thing I do!" Issei's gauntlet shone a bit.

 **"Yeah, if you want to get killed so much,"** a voice resonated from the [Boosted Gear], with everyone looking at it in shock.

"Ahh, Ddraig. A pleasure to have you with us," Riven smiled, the Welsh Dragon chuckling back.

 **"You must be prince Riven, son of Satan. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance,"** the dragon spoke, shifting his attention to Issei next. **"And kid, you're seriously thinking of fighting the Phenex? You're not that strong yet, you know. Just because you awakened the [BoostedGear] doesn't mean you should get all cocky."**

"Well, shut up! I can beat this guy! You'll see!" Everyone sighed at the brunette's words, watching as he ran towards Riser once more.

"Oh, come even closer, I'll give you one hell of a show," Riser smirked, cocking his fist backwards before shooting it forwards, setting it aflame and ready to move in for the kill, before—

*Khh!*

"I request that both of you stand down," a voice resonated from the purple magic circle that formed, forcing both 'Chariot' and Phenex heir to stop their advances and make distance between themselves.

This voice commanded respect, and demanded absolute abidance to her order.

And yet, despite how bone chilling the voice was, Riven found himself standing up, staring at the magic circle with shaky eyes.

There, emerging from the purple magic circle, was the same nee-san that raised him over the years. Her long gray hair tied at the tip, the outfit a regular maid would wear, and the poise she had. How she stood, walked forwards, hands clasped in front of her. Those eyes, he remembered them all too well.

"Y-You're here…" The maid turned to the source of the voice, her own breath hitched in her voice as she stred at the figure, who rushed her with an embrace. "Grayfia-nee san!"

The maid gasped at first, but soon came to realise that the boy who came to hug her; it was Riven. The same lonely child she watched over, raised and loved, who had grown up to become a fine man. He was handsome, that much was sure, and she couldn't help but smile and place her hand on the prince's hair, ruffling it by a bit.

"Riven…" She whispered, hugging him back as tightly as she could. "You really have grown so much…"

"Yeah…" He nodded, stepping away from her with a broad grin. "I-It's good to see you again."

"And the same to me as well," Grayfia smiled, patting him on the head and eliciting a few chuckles from him.

"The Strongest Woman Devil? Why the hell are you showering him with much attention?" Riser scoffed, and immediately shut his trap when he saw the maid stare at him with a powerful murderous intent. If staring at someone could kill, Riser'd be dead by now.

"Because Riven here is my brother, Lord Riser," she answered, her words dripping with coldness and unrestrained viciousness. Immediately, her gaze softened when she looked back at Riven. "You've grown taller."

"Of course. It's a normal thing to do so," Riven smiled back, before bouncing on the spot and running back to Issei. "Oh hey, I forgot to tell you! This is Issei, a friend of mine, and my latest peerage member!"

"H-Hey," the perverted kid waved back, eyes mostly focused on those damn boi melons of hers. They were huge!

*Thud!*

"Gah!" Of course, it didn't mean that he was safe, as some object, later revealed to be a book, had been shot his way, smacking his head. "Okay, who the hell did that?!"

No answer.

"So, you must the wielder of the [Boosted Gear], correct?" Grayfia asked, with Issei immediately nodding at her question. "I see. I am Grayfia, wife to Lord Sirzechs of the Underworld. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Yeah, same here!" He smiled, heart jumping up and down that, because of Riven, he was having the chance to meet so many beautiful women. 'Ah man, better work hard if I want to get a shot with the ladies!'

* * *

An Hour Later

Now, you might be thinking, why has an hour passed?

It seemed that, during the whole hour, Riven had to recount everything about his life during the three years in Assiah, as Grayfia had asked him to do so. It was a trying task, but he managed to get through fine.

After all that was done, they returned to the main topic.

"So, you wish to break the marriage contract?" Riser smirked, crossing his leg over the other. "You know it isn't possible."

"It is," Riven interjected, a look of confidence on his features. "Because there are been three ways for the contract to be broken."

"Oh? And do tell," he kicked back.

"Simply, you must either be disowned or relegate your position as heir to your family to someone else, die, or defeat your betrothed in a Rating Game," he answered, earning a hum of understanding from the Phenex heir.

"Okay, I can get what you mean. So Rias, what is your choice?" He chuckled, expecting for sure that she wouldn't choose any of them.

There was no possible way for her to get disowned by her family, and it wasn't that they would even do so in the first place. Relegation was impossible, as her brother was a current Devil Maou. Then there was dying, but she wasn't mad enough to commit suicide—dying meant the loss of the chance to have Riven love her, which would suck big time. Plus, it wasn't that he was going to die, so that was that. And last but not least, neither she nor her peerage had never experienced a Ratings Game, so there was nothing for her to do.

Was what he thought.

"I challenge you to a Rating Game then," Rias confidently spoke up, looking defiant. The look of surprise on his face quickly melted into a smirk.

"Really, now! You wish to challenge me to a Rating Game? Rias, you've never participated in one before. What makes you think that you could win against me?" He asked, his head shaking in arrogance. The red haired princess snarled.

"Don't underestimate my peerage, Riser! We are a family, and we can do anything together!" She retorted.

"Well, that, and added to the fact that anything is possible," Riven smiled, letting Grayfia play with his hair—as she used to back in the day. "Fate is not a line, it's a story. One that can be changed by an action. And as the Africans say, 'Sh*t, no matter how small, smells'.

…No words or actions for a while.

"…What does that even mean?" Riser blinked, not expecting the prince to pull out such a random quote all of a sudden.

"It means that every action, no matter its weight, has an effect," he chuckled, before a small part of his mind began wondering whether someone else had said his exact lines once or not. "So Rias-nee, if she trains hard enough, will be able to defeat you. It will only strengthen the fate-changing event. And you won't be able to do anything by then."

"Tsk, yeah right… Our engagement is predestined long before you decided to butt in," he blew a raspberry. "And you're not part of her peerage, so what can you do?"

"A lot of things, and one thing is for certain," Riven began, his eyes narrowed into a glare. His father's fire began burning around him, adding to the intimidating effect. "Rias-nee doesn't want to marry you, so I'm gonna' pour all my soul into helping her so that she can beat you. I'll help her in any ways possible, so to make sure that she will gain the freedom she deserves."

Immediately, the blue wisps died out, accompanying his sigh. Riser, on the other hand, felt himself shrink before the prince. He was… trembling? No way! This guy literally is immortal! Sort of, so how is he scared?

'Riven..!' Rias looked to her brother in admiration, her cheeks brushed with a bright blush.

*Ring!*

"Oh, hang on," the prince pulled out his phone, before picking up the call. "Hello?" There was a pause, and then a gasp. "Aniki-san! Hello!" His eyes shone like stars. So long he had not been in contact with his brother, that just his voice was enough to make him ecstatic.

Then he blinked.

"Ah, so you want me to train Rias-nee and her peerage?" The devils in question looked at him. "Really? Oh, so I can bring my family as well? Sweet! Alright, I got it! We'll do the training thing soon enough! See ya'!"

Afterwards, Riven proceeded to hang up his call and return to the couch, a happy smile on his face.

"I get to meet Aniki-san again! And it's been so long too," he smiled, shifting his gaze to his grey-haired sister. "How is he?"

"Doing well. Busy, but otherwise fine," she answered.

"If you say so," he nodded, before turning to look at Riser, who in turn faced him as well. "Would you mind giving them some time to train beforehand? At their current levels, they would have a hard time defeating you."

"Hmm?" Riser smirked, not expecting Riven of all people to request that. "So you're asking me if they could get a handicap? Hmm… Meh, might as well, but it won't change anything. In the end, I will take Rias' hand!"

The Phenex heir statement was, to put it simply, rather annoying. But Riven wasn't ticked off, no. He was just disappointed.

"Thanks, I guess," the prince sweat-dropped.

"Very well, I will give you ten days. _Ten_ days, and that's it," he snickered, standing up and forming a magic circle to warp away. "Come on, Ravel."

"R-Right, she nodded, stepping onto the magic circle and giving a bow of her own.

At that, Riser and his peerage disappeared off through their magic circle.

"R-Riven, why would you—" Rias began, but immediately Riven raised his finger pointed to his lip, signalling for her to be quiet, and she did.

"Now listen, I'm not saying you guys are weak, honest. But tell me this. At this rate, how would you rate your percentages of winning?" Riven asked with a serious and demanding tone, something that slightly unnerved the red haired devil.

"I-I don't know," she admitted. And at that, Riven smiled.

"Exactly. That's why, if you were to train, you could probably turn the tides in your favour. With training, you'd become ready to face him. And think about it, you could win! You wouldn't have to marry him, and your peerage wouldn't have to serve under his painful reign," Riven explained patiently.

"I-I think all of us would like that... Not serving him, that is," Gasper decided to put in his words.

"Alright, alright. We'll do it. I'm expecting you to train us well, understood?" She looked confident now, and there was no mistaking the trace of certainty in her voice.

"Of course. And you'd better be prepared," he was sure that his sister can best her fiancé.

* * *

That Night—Velvet Room

Riven woke up once more, dressed in the noble's outfit, and in that one room. Not deciding to waste a moment, he left the room, walking down the corridor without stopping.

'Maybe there's a reason Igor wishes to see me tonight,' he thought in his mind, but no answers of what could possibly be the reason. 'Oh well, I'm sure it's something important. Time to go see him.'

Before he even realised it, he was now standing before the door. He twisted the knob, and stepped through.

 ***Final Fantasy XV—What Lies Within (Play Song)***

"So, you've come to. Please, take a seat," Igor called, with the prince doing exactly as he was told. "First and foremost, I'd like to congratulate you on forming the peerage contract with two new people. It seems that they too possess a special skill of their own."

"Indeed. Freed has absorbed part of my SacredGear, what I've called the [Magician Royal Arcana], and has awoken to his own Persona, called the Shakkoumon," Riven began. "Issei is already blessed with the [Boosted Gear], and now has the [Chariot Royal Arcana], though I am not sure what his Persona would be."

"Hmm. If I were to make an assumption, it would be the dragon that resides in his SacredGear," the man deducted, his smile ever the same. "But let's put that aside, shall we? I have important matters to discuss with you."

"Very well, if you say so," the prince has known Igor to be one who never lies. And if he calls this important, this must mean a lot.

"The first matter I'd like to highlight is that you have actually begun your steps to rehabilitation, and that you are slowly progressing. For that, I must say well done," the man chuckled. "The second thing, is that you had asked me what your 'Wild Card' ability is before, yes?"

"Indeed. I am curious what it is," he nodded. Truth be told, he had almost forgotten about it. It was thanks enough that the man before him mentioned it.

"Well, you possess an uncanny skill that is undoubtedly rare amongst the Persona users," he explained. "The 'Wild Card' ability actually allows you to form contracts with other beings to turn them into your Persona, allowing you to have more than one Persona."

"R-Really? I see…" He may have sounded calm, but it sounded amazing! With it, he would have a tactical advantage over his enemies, as he'd be able to wield all sorts of elements and powers into the battle. "Thank you for explaining it to me. Is there anything else?"

"The third issue I'd like to bring up is how Justine and Caroline will aid you in your path to rehabilitation," immediately, Riven perked up. "You see, the Velvet Room possesses many interesting aids that can serve you in beneficial ways. However, it is necessary that you equip yourself with more than one Persona."

"And how will Justine and Caroline will help me?" He asked, jumping slightly when both girls turned to face him.

"Simple. We will be taking charge over the tasks here, so to speak," Justine answered. "Of course, more assistance shall be accessible for you if your rehabilitation progress goes well."

"So you'd better not slack off on your rehabilitation, you got it? Our master is expecting you to do well in your rehabilitation, so you'd better work hard!" Caroline added. There was no mistaking how loud she could be.

"As you say," he nodded in understanding. "And Sir? I can tell that there are other things you wish to tell me, I assume?"

"Of course," he nodded. "The fourth subject I will be talking to you about, is that I shall bestow you with a new power. With it, you shall see things that the naked eye can offer. I have no doubt that it will aid in your rehabilitation progress."

The moment his sentence ended, the cross-earring Riven wore shone. It was after the light died down when his vision began to darken, highlighting only the lights.

"W-What is this?" He blinked, before his vision turned back to normal. His hand moved to his eye.

"That is the ability called the 'Third Eye'. With it, you will be able to sense things," Igor explained. "It will be an immense help for you, I'm sure. And last but not least, your SacredGear."

"What about my SacredGear..?" He rubbed his eye, looking attentive once more.

"[Royal Arcana], as it is now, only allows you to turn into your demonic form, wield your weapons, and use the powers of your Persona," he was met with a nod. "Now, I wish to bestow you with a new power, one that shall aid you immensely. Justine, if you'd please."

"Understood," she nodded, taking the contract from her master and giving it to Riven.

The prince read through the details. It had no names, but the description went on and on. And to put it simply, he was amazed and shocked.

All around the worlds, there were tombs of the previous SacredGear wielders. It made sense, as, for example, before Issei had wielded the [Boosted Gear], someone else before him had it before. Names such as Belzard and Eisha came to mind.

From there, the details grew more interesting. It is stated that, with this new ability, he could manifest their SacredGears by absorbing the mana that resides in their tombs. This meant that, as long as there was a tomb for the previous wielders of a SacredGear, and that he were to absorb the mana from it, he could wield their SacredGear.

"N-No way…" He blinked. Such power would be appreciated, but the fear that he would be consumed by it scared him. "T-This is too much. Are you comfortable of leaving such a power in my hands?"

"I am, prince," Igor chuckled, somewhat amused. "I have seen that you wield your strength not for fame, yet to bring a good future to the weak. I can say that, over this brief time, that you are indeed the right candidate for this. I am sure, you will make good use of this ability."

'D-Damn…' He was being gifted such a powerful ability, and there was no cost to it. "Sir, if I were to accept this ability, must I activate my [Royal Arcana] to wield these SacredGears?"

"Indeed. You will take the form of your demonic blood. Only then will you be able to wield the SacredGears that you have absorbed," his smile accompanied the chuckle he gave off. Riven found this way too creepy. "In any case, you can activate these SacredGears whenever you so wish it to. And you can only wield one during a time."

"I understand," he nodded, taking the quill from his table and writing his signature at the bottom of the contract, thus indicating his acceptance of this contract. He passed it to Justine. "Thank you, for this."

"It is my pleasure," Igor chuckled once again. "In any case, the night is growing thin, and you'd need to return to reality soon. I have high expectations for you, prince."

And everything returned to how it was.

 ***Final Fantasy XV—What Lies Within (End Song)***

* * *

That Night

After everything had been settled with, Lux had left the Velvet Room, stepping into the realm of true sleep this time. And yet, he was the only one that found himself sleep. On the other hand...

*Khh...*

 **"Huh..?"** Eve found herself suddenly waking up, feeling woozy. The fuzzy sensation remained for a while, until she felt normal once more.

And yet... there was a feeling as if a part of her had disappeared. As if she was just who she was, and that there was nothing more to prove her as a being of three, of which she was intended to be.

 **"A-Adam..?"** She whispered, cutting herself short when her partner let out a silent hum in his slumber. **"No, no... But..."**

Looking around, there was nothing there to reassure her of her sudden anticipation. Maybe... maybe this would be necessary after all.

Deciding to trust in He Who Writes, she fell asleep once more, whispering her goodbyes to those who lived in the game.

* * *

 **A/N: So, Riven has a new peerage member, gets new powers, and Issei finally awakens his [Boosted Gear]!**

 **So, from his meeting with Igor, the way how his SacredGear can work now, manifesting other SacredGears, probably reminds you of Final Fantasy XV, and you're absolutely right. Just as how Noctis travels from tomb to tomb to gain a 'Royal Arm's—spoilers—Riven will do the same.**

 **Now then, we can only hope that the prince's journey goes well. Leave a comment while you're at it, and thank you for all your time reading my stories!**


	15. Chapter 14

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

" _For him, it was easy._ _"_ _-_ Flashback / Emphasis

" **Here we go, guys!** **"** \- Inhuman Speech

' **Hah, ignorance.** **'** _-_ Inhuman thoughts

 **[Boost!] [Divide!]** \- SacredGear

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!* - Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 14: Dancing With A Devil… Or a _Lot_ of Them=-

The Next Day

 **[Sword Birth!]**

*Drr!*

It was without a doubt that Kiba Yuuto, 'Knight' to the Lady Herself, was indeed a skilled swordsman, having made a name for himself in a short time. Even so, he would still need training, to further improve his stamina and strength.

But what really made him so dangerous in the first place? It was the SacredGear of which that resides in his soul, which made him so unpredictably challenging to face off.

That is, from the earth below, multitude of types of blades materialised around a determined Kiba. By his will the swords formed, possessing different looks and powers, a testament to the existence of multiple swords in the world.

And the person to go up against him was… Freed. Who really didn't look to give a sh*t.

"You can do this, Yuuto!" Rias cheered out loud, trying to give a morale boost to her 'Knight'.

"So in this training, I'd like both Kiba and Freed to test their capabilities against one another with their SacredGear. And since the both of them are sword wielders, I'd like to see how well they would fare against each other," the prince informed, holding up a camera and taking a picture. "Okay, start!"

"Umm, just out of curiosity, but is the camera really necessary?" Issei stepped to his side, whistling when Freed did a backflip and swung his light sword—let's be honest, it's a light saber—against Kiba's, effectively cutting it apart. "What are you trying to do? Get good shots or something?"

"That is one reason, yes," he nodded, the light on his camera flashing once more, almost sending the brunette stumbling backwards due to how bright it was. "And it can also be used as proof."

"Proof of what, though?!" Freed asked, voice slightly muffled due to the helm, as he spawned Shakkoumon, laying a trap of light onto the field.

"I bet good coin that Riser's going to accuse us of using the time he's given us for training to do something else instead," he shrugged, inwardly thinking that that's just how the Phenex heir is. He's obnoxious, even if he doesn't try. "Come on, Kiba! Freed! Show us some good stuff today!"

"You are still assessing us, right?" The blonde asked, producing a sword of fire and slashing it at Freed's way.

"Don't worry, I'm still keeping check on your progress, don't worry," he nodded in assurance. "In any case, just keep going. Freed, try to use your gun too! You know you can use that thing!"

"He'll just cut it away!" The 'Magician' blew a raspberry, parrying his opponent's attack. "Stop it!"

"That's… the point of the training?" Chuckled the blond as he continued his assault.

With an angry shout, the 'Magician' summoned the creature within his soul, commanding him to send light beams all around him, tearing the battlefield.

The sight wasn't pretty, since craters were littered left and right, but oh well.

"In any case, once he's done, I want to see how you and Akeno are doing with your magic," he told his sister. "You girls are doing better, right?"

"Of course. What you've told us, we've made sure to do," she nodded with a smile. "Can I know how Asia and Gasper are doing?"

"I've had father and mother tutor them for a while. They should be back, right about… now," he gestured to the four—a wolf, a brown-haired woman, a boy wearing the girl's uniform, and a blond girl—who were approaching them. "So, Asia. Gasper. How was your training?"

"I'm doing slightly well," Asia made a brief nod, looking happy. "Lady Yuri said I'm doing much better now! But I still have to focus on distance, though."

"Still, it means you're improving. That's a good thing too," he smiled, patting her on the head, a gesture she accepted with a giggle. "And you, Gasper? I reckon you're doing great too."

"I-I'm doing well too, Riven-nii! I can finally freeze more than one person!" He nodded with a bright grin. "Though, I still have to work on my stamina. Satan said that I get tired quick…"

" **You tell me! I** **'** **ve never seen a kid fall to the ground out of exhaustion after just a minute!** **"** Laughed the wolf, getting a smack to the back of his head from his wife. **"** **Argh..! S-Sorry.** **"**

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll get there," he nodded with confidence. Confident that the girlish boy, who he made promise to him that he'd remain true to himself, would grow stronger. "And mother, father, what are your views on them?"

"It's hard to call them weak anymore. They learn fast," Yuri giggled, clasping her hands together. "I'm surprised that they were bad with their SacredGears before. In fact, they weren't all that bad in the first place. Just lacking experience."

"Too true," he chuckled, looking to the wolf next. "And your view, father?"

" **Meh, still feels the same to me,** **"** he shrugged. **"** **I mean, these kids are doing pretty well, but they** **'** **re not fully mastering what you** **'** **ve taught them. Look at Akeno. She** **'** **s fine and all, but she doesn** **'** **t have full mastery over water and ice. Rias? Looks the same to me, except with a bit more focus. And maybe a bit of protection, but that** **'** **s that. Kiba** **'** **s still Kiba, as far as I can tell. Koneko? Added speed, so what? And these kids here, meh.** **"**

"Satan, we need an honest observation here…" The human woman sighed.

" **Just being honest, Yuri. Riven** **'** **s giving excellent tutoring this far, but I can** **'** **t see all that much improvement,** **"** his shoulders sagged slightly. **"** **In fact, it** **'** **s the way they think that we need to tinker with. They** **'** **ll stick to what they** **'** **re so used to because they** **'** **re afraid of trying something new would ultimately backfire.** **"**

"But what about Akeno? She's using magic other than her hereditary powers," he offered.

" **Well, sure, but it** **'** **s not like she** **'** **s that good at it. Take for instance, you could summon a huge ass ball of water if you wanted to, and she could probably do a quarter of it,** **"** the wolf stretched himself, sighing in relief afterwards. **"** **Not saying that what you** **'** **re doing is wrong, Riven. It** **'** **s more like they** **'** **re not really taking it seriously.** **"**

"I see…" The lad nodded in understanding, beginning to think hard. If what his father says is true, then he'd need them to focus on the skills he's taught them. Having them learn new skills would only add more burden to their plates. "Father, what would you do?"

" **Hmm** **…** **I** **'** **d probably advise them to keep working hard and improve on what they** **'** **ve learned, rather than do something new,** **"** just as he thought. **"** **But, if they** _ **do**_ **master their current abilities already, I** **'** **d give them a chance to try something new. Of course, if they** **'** **re up for it.** **"**

"Wow, you really do know your stuff," his wife blinked in surprise, an embarrassed sigh leaving his lips.

" **I may not be all that observant, but I** **'** **m not all that daft** **…"** He whimpered, enjoying the scratches she was giving him behind the ear.

While husband and wife were having their little moment, their son was busy in thought.

'Criminy, Father's right… Gonna' need to work on that,' he gulped, seeing Freed step away from a beaten up Kiba, causing him to deadpan at the exorcist. "Freed, what did you do to him?"

"I _may_ or _may not_ have decided to go 'f**k it' and just toss myself at him, and beat the living sh*t out of him," cackled Freed as he gave a pat on the blond's back, getting a hiss of pain out of him. "Oops. Sorry."

"I-It's fine…" Chuckled Kiba, though even he looked like he was he going to pass out at any given time.

"Well, there's a lesson to be learned; Your opponents will always have a surprise up their sleeves, and it's up to you to discern their true motives before they strike next," Riven jotted down some notes in his notebook.

"H-Hai," the blond nodded.

"Although…" Then his gaze moved to his friend, the latter whistling innocently as he looked away. "You _could_ have tried to take it easy on him, you know."

"Hey, you know how they say? **No pain, no gain!** **"** Freed began, only for his sentence to be completed by the teenager's father. "Haha! See? Your dad gets it!"

" **Of course! A true warrior endures the pain he suffers to become stronger, no matter what!** **"** Nodded Satan with a bright, toothy grin, getting a sigh out of his child and wife.

With all the jokes aside, Kiba would need treatment, for sure.

* * *

An Hour Later

"Expanding their repertoire… I'll focus on that tomorrow, if anyone fully gets a grasp on their current skills…" He muttered to himself, absentmindedly poking the steak on his plate.

"Are you fine, son?" Yuri asked, the boy nodding slowly in response, eyes still transfixed on the steak. "Before you say you are, I would honestly doubt that you're actually _fine_."

"I don't know, mother… What father said really opened up my eyes. It seems that everyone's not improving too well," he answered, still forking the meat.

"Riven, it's only been three days. Obviously, no one should improve that quickly. Your father only said what he said back then," and his eyes flitted to hers, black meeting teal. "Because he was thinking about you."

"Huh?" Her words finally made him put down his fork.

"Your father… He's watched you grow up for all these seven years, and he knows that you're very impressive," she offered him a smile. "He's so used to the thought that you're so good, that he forgot that the others aren't you. He thinks that they'll grow so strong in just a moment, when that only applies to you."

"O-Oh," he blinked, finally chuckling as the weight on his shoulders lifted as he blushed in embarrassment. Was he really that good in his father's eyes? "W-Well, that's good to hear. So he didn't really mean it?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. But remember, he was thinking about you," his mother giggled, which his son was more than happy to join. "In any case, your training programme is still good. Just give them time and don't push them too much, alright?"

"Yeah, I got it," he nodded, eating his steak once again.

And this time, it tasted great.

* * *

"Alright, everyone! I need your attention!" They gave it to him quickly as he said it, standing at full attention. "Okay. So I want a report on how well your training with your current skills are doing. Rias-nii, Akeno?"

"I think I'm progressing finely. I'm a tad bit loose on that focus part, but watch Riven, I'll get there," she answered, confident, just as the strong sister she always was.

Although, a little memory really made him wonder if _that_ _'_ _s_ just how she wants them to be…

"And I'm doing just fine as well. It's still going slow, so I hope you'll be patient with me," the half-fallen gave a short bow.

"Okay, I understand. Rias-nii, I need you to continue work up on your focus, then I'll have you continue onto your next programme, if possible. Try meditation," he suggested, earning a nod. "And Akeno, umm… Keep working on your water and ice magic. Just like any magic, there's levels. Try to reach as high as you could. I'm only having you focus on that."

"And what about us, Riven-nii?" Gasper stepped forwards, with Asia by his side.

"I'm going to ask both of you to try new magics once you're done," the both of them shared a curious look, before turning back to the prince. "Asia, you're a supportive person, so I'll have you learn magic that can enhance your allies' stats, such as a boost to strength or defence."

"Wait, it's possible?" She asked, beaming up.

"Indeed it is. In fact, I'll show it to you," he offered, muttering simple chants before letting loose a red ball of energy at Issei, who blinked from the sudden enhancement. "Okay Issei, I want you to try and hit Koneko. Koneko, block."

"Alright!" He pumped his fist in the air, aiming his fist at the girl.

"…If you do anything unnecessary, you won't be forgiven," she warned him, causing a shiver of fear to travel down his spine.

She crossed her arms in an x-position in front of her, ready to block her senpai's attack. On cue, Issei thrusted his fist forwards, pounding straight at her arms, and surprisingly knocking her backwards.

"Whoa, it worked!" He laughed, rubbing his fist. "It did hurt, though. You alright, Koneko-chan?"

"Mmm," she nodded back, also rubbing her arms.

"Of course. Being a 'Rook' means she has a very high defence, but you've seen the effects of that enhancement," he nodded, before looking to Asia. "So if you're able to complete your training with your [Twilight Healing], I'll have mother teach you that too, alright?"

"Y-Yes! I'll try my best!" She nodded, looking excited.

"Good. And Gasper, since your SacredGear is designed to pause your enemies, I will have Tiamat teach you how to use a saboteur's magic," the second last word didn't make sense to the young dhampir, so he explained further. "It's basically the opposite of the enhancing magic. Instead, it weakens the enemy."

"Ohh, I get it," he nodded in understanding.

"Mmhm. It'd be useful if you could activate it while you freeze the enemy. Think about it," he stepped back, crossing his arms over his head. "While you freeze them, their defence could be lowered. That way, everyone else could finish them off much faster."

"Hey, that does sound useful!" Gasper agreed with a smile.

"Indeed. So I want you to continue with your SacredGear training. Afterwards, I'll have Tiamat teach you how to use sabotaging magic," he instructed, earning a bright 'yes!'. "Okay, next. Koneko I need you to train with Freed and Issei. I want to see how well you can do against them."

"Right," her gaze moved to the two, both of whom flinched when their eyes met.

For certain, the little girl was not _just_ a girl. They were going to be in for a ride of a lifetime.

"Rossweisse, you're a valkyrie, so I'm curious whether you can summon creatures or not?" He had read about them a long time ago. They were very skilled, capable of calling a creature to assist them in battle. It would ultimately help the team if she could do so.

"I'm… not all that well," she admitted with a shy grin. "I've never really done such a thing before, as I had mostly focused on my… physiques."

"Then we'll have you work on that with Father. An excellent summoner," said wolf puffed out his chest in pride, getting a chuckle from his son. "Just start with small things, then move on to harder ones," he told her, getting a nod before following the wolf to their training spot. "Then Kiba, Xenovia, you will team up against Kala and Ray. You are limited only to your SacredGears, no magic."

"Understood, / Hai," both 'Knights' responded in unison, deciding to wait until everyone else were done with their own training.

'This is going to take some time, but it's better than nothing,' he told himself. 'Take it slow and stea—"

*BOOM!*

Jumping slightly, all eyes turned to where the explosion came from. Said explosion had come from a good distance away, with everyone seeing Issei and Freed, the latter in his armour, running away from the little silverette, who definitely looked like she wanted to kill.

"MOMMMYYY!"

"Shut up and run! Just shut the f**k up and RUN!"

"…Hmph."

Riven sighed, hoping that they would at least make it back alive. And for Koneko to _not_ hurt them _that_ badly….

* * *

Across the gaps of space and time, a towering dragon watched the sight of them training. Farther from that, his biological sister, with her black hair hung down and long, watched in silence.

And further away, away from the hands of mortals and immortals, two forgotten beings, a man and his draconic friend, awaited the prince.

* * *

That Night

"So we have, how long..?" He asked himself, knowing that asking Eve was pointless, as she fell asleep. "Seven days more, hmm?"

It was kind of strange, he thought. All this time, as he trained himself, he had thought of himself as nothing special. With his mother's words, however, he only realised that he wasn't just special—though he would never brag about it, he was just _different_.

And the topic made him think about Rias's peerage members. He knew things about them.

He didn't want to pry into their personal lives, but curiosity was a dreadful poison, that which has often took ahold of him in times of which he honestly didn't want. But he, like any other person, was susceptible to curiosity, so he borrowed some files from his red-haired brother, and did a bit of reading.

He was… shocked, to say the least.

For example, Akeno, Rias's 'Queen', was indeed a fallen-devil halfbreed, who was originally half-human. She was the daughter of Baraqiel, a person he knew was quite strong in the fallen's territory, and a human woman named Shuri Himejima. One thing lead to another, they had a daughter, the mother was killed by members of her own clan for her 'acts of deceit and betrayal', which lead to their current situation.

So right now, Akeno doesn't really like her father all that much because she thinks he had left her mother to die, when in truth he had been there to try and stop them.

Just the thought of her fighting with her father… he would need to mend their relationship, one way or another.

Moving on, Koneko's sister had been deemed a 'Stray Devil'—that came as a shocker, as he had heard absolutely nothing about this—and she was sent off to be confined. Kiba came from a human experimentation camp, and wanted to avenge his old friends. Xenovia was an ex-exorcist before she came here. Asia was a nun before she got excommunicated.

This knowledge was indeed surprising to him. He never thought that the friends of whom he had made all shared a past of their own. And a dreadful one at that.

"…Man…" Sighing, Riven just fell back into his bed, scratching his head. "What to do…"

In all honesty, he felt that some powerful being or some twist of fate wanted to keep all of this a secret from him. But he digress, such a knowledge was far too important to just ignore.

Right now, he needed to fix things. That's what he can do, right?

He had power, he had his 'Royal Arcana', and he's got all his friends backing him up. Those three mysterious residents in that fancy room in his dreams would help him, for sure.

He just needed to think of what to do.

Although, he _does_ want to go to the tomb… He was just _this_ close to getting the 'Boosted Gear'..!

"…Ahh, screw it. The tomb can wait," he sighed, still hoping that he could at least get back to it before the day of Rias's fight with Riser. "Welp, time to get to Koneko and get down to asking."

Because, for some strange reason, the documents he read didn't actually have much information, besides her sister being labelled as a 'Stray'.

With his plan in mind, he left his room, walking straight for the young girl's room. It was still early, and everyone else were relaxing. He had excused himself to his room early just to get away from the distractions, as he needed a lot of time to think.

Still though, it would have been nice if Eve was there to help him out… But she just _had_ to be sleeping at that time.

Now at the foot of her door, he took some time to calm himself down. No doubt, he was about to ask her about something sensitive. Maybe it wasn't, but he couldn't help but feel it that way. He'd need to play his card carefully here.

*Knock knock.*

Before he even knew it, his body had moved, knuckles knocking on the door softly.

'…Oh shoot, I'm not ready yet!' His eyes widened, and his hands immediately moved to comb his hair and straighten his t-shirt, hoping that he at least looked presentable.

*Creak…"

"Mmm…" The girl, half-asleep, stood there, eyeing the figure before her. Only when she realised it was Riven did she finally grow awake once more. "Oh, Riven…"

"Uhh… Hey," he waved, peering slightly past her and at her room. "Sorry for bothering you right now. Can I come in?"

"U-Uh-huh…" She nodded, dumbly. She made way for him, allowing him to step in.

Taking a look at her room, it was just like his own, as so is everyone else's—the rooms in this mansion were designed with matching similarities. The queen size bed was there, accompanying the white walls and oak flooring, with the birch wardrobe and a door to the bathroom. Unlike his, however, she had asked for a desk, with a beautiful chair that seemed to be made from fine sakura.

'This room is nice… Man, Rias must have it easy for herself,' he thought to himself. "So, Koneko—"

"Shirone…" She interrupted, not looking at him.

"… _Shirone_ ," corrected, Riven just smiled back. "I've got something to ask you."

"Mm, okay," she nodded, sitting down on her bed. The lad joined her beside her. "So…"

"I was wondering," he began, looking at her room for a while before he looked down at her. "I don't plan to beat around the bush, so I'll get straight to it. Shirone, what happened to your sister?"

Just as he asked that, he could notice the way her muscles tensed, her smile slowly dissipating, until all there was left was a frown. He had expected this sort of reaction, but he had to know. There was no turning back now.

'Besides…' He thought in his mind, patiently awaiting his friend's response. 'If I don't know, I won't be able to help her.'

"…You have to promise me," she began, gripping his left hand with her right, tightly. "Promise that what you hear stays in this room…"

"Yeah, I understand," he nodded. This must mean that it was super private, which was obvious. "I don't want to break the trust we have, so I promise you."

"Okay…" Shirone nodded, slowly taking her time. Riven waited, not wanting to rush her. "…Years ago, my sister and I were taken in by a man."

"Taken in?" He blinked in surprise. It was true, that the documents had said absolutely nothing about this.

"Indeed… He was a simple human, who didn't have a family," she began, playing with the hem of her nightdress. "He took us in, and had us serve him. As such, he was our master, and we were his servants."

Things were about to take a turn for the worse, he could tell.

"We lived under him for years. We lived a good life, had a good roof over our heads, and even were fed…" Slowly, her hand over his tightened even more. "But then… He… He suddenly turned mad. We didn't know, but he went after us. He beat us up at night, and would pretend that it never happened the next day."

"What?!" His eyes widened in shock just as she ended her sentence. "How could he?!"

"We didn't know that time. W-We accepted it, because we thought t-that we made a mistake back then," she appreciated her friend's sentiment, but continued anyways. "And then… It went to the point where we couldn't stand it anymore. We were fine, until he brought in another Nekomata. He raised her well, and then he…"

She saw red. A battered body. Head disconnected. Empty socket. Her mouth open, red water pooling out.

"…H-He killed her…" She forced out. "And then I… I was sc-scared! I used senjutsu, a-a-and..!" She suddenly stopped, tears pricking at her golden orbs.

Riven knew then.

He had actually noticed it, to be honest. Senjutsu was like an energy force of the body, so to restrict the use of it would mean to restrain the body as well… It was why she looked so small, because her body had been forced to remain that way by her own will.

And that was why she had not used it at all this entire time. She had actually killed a person with the same power, and in fear of becoming a monster because of the power, she had made sure not to use it at all.

"…Where's Kuroka, then?" He asked, frowning.

"S-She w-w-was caught…" Yeah, he knew that part, but still hearing it didn't make it any better. "They thought s-she killed him! B-B-But, it was _me_ , Riven! I-I was the one that..!"

She couldn't take it anymore. The moment the tears burst forwards, she sobbed, crying tears of lost and fear as she pulled her friend towards herself, face buried in his chest. He had nothing to do, knew not what to do, but did as a friend could in this sort of situation.

He held her, right hand on her back, the other on her head.

"…Thank you, for telling me…" He sighed, holding her close. "And… sorry."

She continued crying that night, crying until there were no more tears to shed, and until she passed out, exhausted. He tucked her away, making sure that she wouldn't hear him leaving.

* * *

'Well, I think I know what to do first,' clicking his tongue, Riven returned to his room.

Why did the documents say nothing about this? To avoid controversy? Not a very smart move if you let one person to roam free, and of course, said person was not obligated to keep such a secret… well, _secret_.

For certain, this was a problem that he wanted to deal with very much, but knowing his sister, she would probably tell him otherwise, just to save him from any trouble.

"…Mmm, no. I can't just stand back and do nothing," he laid on his bed, but he stood up afterwards, picking up his phone and sending a text to his brother. "There's still a lot of time left. I think I can handle this."

' _To: Aniki-san (Sirzechs),_

 _Brother, I need to have a chat with you. It_ _'_ _s something that has to do with my friend, Shirone, and I think you_ _'_ _ll know what I mean._

 _I hope you_ _'_ _re not busy or anything, because this is important. Meet me in Lilith._

 _~Riven_ _'_

This was important. This _is_ important, he told himself. His friend was crying for her sister being taken away because of a crime she committed.

"But it's not a crime to begin with," he mumbled. "It was self-defence. It was kill or be killed."

This was it. He vowed to Eve, that he will create his own 'justice' and 'retribution'. Right now, he had to uphold his end of the vow.

"This is my road to rehabilitation," he nodded to himself.

Without anymore words, he opened a teleportation circle in his room, and warped away to the Underworld.

* * *

Underworld—Capital Lilith

He remembered visiting the place once. He was with his biological parents and step family, and they came here by his request.

The place was just as lively as it once was. Beautiful, a bit dark, but no traces of pollution. The capital really did live up to its name as… as…

'I forgot…' He sighed in slight embarrassment, hoping that he had not forgotten his lessons, but he supposed he would need to brush up on that another time. And so, without wasting time, he began walking through the streets.

He received a message from Sirzechs, who told him that he'd meet him in the same restaurant they had went to the first time he came there.

Of course, he knew where it was. A bit to the left, turn right at the sign of the shoe shop, greet the children he saw there, and made his way forwards.

The only problem with the restaurant was—

"Welcome, master~!" The female devil welcomed, wearing an outfit akin to a maid's. The apron, along with the blue dress was there, but they had to add the cat ears. "Please, take a sit! Meow~!"

"R-Right…" He didn't feel calm. Not at all. He was shaken, and the last time he remembered, he almost threw up in the restaurant due to how cringy things in here were.

"Riven!" He looked to where the voice came from, which appeared in the form of a smiling Sirzechs waving his way, adorned in the same regal outfit he constantly wore, minus any armouring.

He waved back, walking towards him.

"It's been good to see you again, brother," he smiled, the younger one returning the gesture.

"Same here. I… missed you, to be honest," he admitted with a shy chuckle.

"Haha, same here then," Sirzechs smiled, producing a calm look of steel as he looked around them, making sure that no one was listening to them before he continued. "So?"

"Yeah…" The prince sighed, knowing why they were here. He was the one that called him here, after all. "This is about Shirone's sister, Kuroka. She is a Nekomata, black hair, umm… Pretty, I guess?"

"Oh, quite. She is beautiful now," he nodded, still maintaining that look of calm. How does one do that, even if they comment on one's beauty, Riven thought. "Riven, why have you called me here to talk about her?"

"Because she's innocent," a bold claim, one that his brother didn't take easily.

"…Riven, I know that your heart is in the good place, and that she's your friend, but I can't just let her loose like that," he shook his head. "She's a stray devil now, Riven. Her sister is a devil reincarnated into Rias's peerage, because she had nothing to do with it. It was hard, but we managed it."

"Yeah, well… There are a few things that you're wrong about this whole case," he scratched the back of his head, managing not to jump in surprise when the maid came over and served them a cup of tea.

"Enjoy~!" She giggled, walking away.

"Oh God… Why did we have to come to a _maid cafe_ of all places…" He groaned, a laugh from his brother being his only response.

"They do make good tea," he drank his, a serious expression brought forth once more. "So you're saying that there are a few mistakes with the case?"

"Indeed, and… I don't feel comfortable about talking about it here," he gulped, drinking a bit from his tea, before his eyes widened. "Oh hey, you're right. Their tea tastes great."

"See? What did I tell you?" He smiled, feeling how his brother was so adept at changing such a serious situation into a light one. "Well, if you truly need privacy, I suppose we can return to our mansion."

"Our? Aniki-san, we both know that it's _your_ mansion," he laughed, standing up.

"Yeah, well, it's _our_ home," he chuckled back, joining his brother.

* * *

Sirzechs's Mansion

After arriving at his old home, he decided that a little look-around was needed.

It was still the same. Grand floors, beautiful windows, lovely garden… Not a lot had changed, apparently.

"Come, we'll move to my office," the Devil Maou invited, bringing his brother with him to his own workspace. Now in it, Sirzechs sat at his desk, with Riven opposite of him. "So, let's talk. You were saying?"

"Uhh… Right, right," he nodded, dumbly. Retracing his words, he knew what to say. "Kuroka's not guilty, nor is she supposed to be confined. I can promise you that much."

"And how are you so sure? Riven, I would love to trust you with all my heart, but this is a serious case," his words lacked his usual friendliness, elucidating the gravity of this situation. Even then, there was a brotherly tone behind it all. "I don't want any mistakes, Riven. I don't want to have you arrested or the like."

"I know… Just like any case, it would require witnesses and proof," he nodded. "They're your weapons once you step foot into the court."

"Indeed, and you'd need a lot of evidence if you're going to make this work," the older male advised.

"Alright. But first off, can I know your side of the story? Shirone gave me her version, I'd like to know the one you've been told," he requested. "Which, I'm certain you never wrote in the official files."

"Well… the elder devils strictly forbade such a thing," Sirzechs frowned, knowing that the elder devils wouldn't have liked such a thing.

"…Fine," the boy sighed. And so, his brother began recounting his end of the story, eyes shut.

"The two sisters, both Nekomata, were taken in by a devil. He had turned them into his servants, with him their master. They were fine at first, until one day, the nearby villagers spoke of how the eldest sibling, Kuroka, suddenly attacked her master. This, in turn, led to her transformation into a stray devil. She escaped with her sister, but was caught. Her sister was reincarnated as Rias's 'Rook', Koneko," he finished, opening his eyes. "That's it."

"Hmm… There's a lot of missing pieces, and many of them having to be manipulated," he muttered, earning his brother's attention. "For example, Shirone told me that their master was a human. Besides that, there was another Nekomata."

"Wait, really?" He blinked in surprise, humming in thought as he pursed his lips. "I don't recall another Nekomata besides those two."

"Well, I think we'll need a trip to the crime scene," Riven said. "Ah, and one last thing. It wasn't Kuroka that killed him. It was Koneko. Oh, but don't tell her that I told you. Poor girl had to deal with too much already."

"Wait, what?" The Devil Maou blinked in surprise, returned with a nervous shrug from the prince.

"Hey, her words, not mine," he responded, standing up. "Come on, I need to check the place."

* * *

Warping away to Assiah, they reached a village. There, they had asked the people where the person lived, finally led to a large wooden house with a smithy there. There was a horse barn behind it.

"So their master was a farrier, okay," the lad took note of this out of curiosity. "Okay, let's go in."

Walking into the house, Riven casted a wisp into the air, allowing it to grow larger so to illuminate the area. The place looked ransacked, as if there had been an attack here. Then again, it had been many years since this place last housed a person.

"…Look. There's scorch marks here. A clear sign of senjutsu being used there," Sirzechs remarked, looking at the ceiling next. "And there's slight claw marks."

"Hmm… Shirone said that there was another Nekomata here, so all we he have to do is summon her spirit so that we can talk with her," the lad offered, earning a look of puzzlement from his brother. "What?"

"Really? Can you channel spirits?" The redhead asked.

Channeling spirits was a risky move. It was the act of having one's body possessed by a spirit for the purpose of communication. It was risky because if the entity wasn't all a friendly, it could possess the channeller. Plus, there would always be the chance that the spirit would manipulate their words, ultimately lying to put the case in the mud.

"Hmm, I've read books," Sirzechs sweat-dropped at his brother's words. "But I think I can do it. Give me a shot."

"…Hhaa. Fine. If you're sure about it, I guess I won't stop you," he nodded, still feeling somewhat uncertain.

His brother learned a bit too many things from reading, it seems.

"Okay. First off, use your blood as catalyst," he told himself, tearing the skin of his thumb and letting blood to flow out. "Alright, now I need to…"

He didn't say anything else, instead drawing a magic circle on the ground in silence. Sirzechs had to admit, it looked pretty great, what with the sheer It took a while, but he finally finished it. It was wide, enough for him to sit in. He did just that, sitting crosslegged.

"Okay Aniki-san, here's how it's going to work. I'm going to channel the spirit into my body through an old spell I've learned. Don't worry so much, everything'll go well," he smiled in assurance.

"If you say so…" Sirzechs sighed. "And what should I do?"

"All you have to do is talk to the ghost. I'll handle the channeling, you'll probe the info from her," he instructed, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths.

This would be the first time he would ever do such a thing. Oh well, it was bound to happen someday or another, he told himself.

With his heart and soul calmed, he began the chants.

"Mafa… El gur… Ruya… Hefur…" Each word he muttered, each chant he spoke, he could feel his strength begin to seep out of his body.

"Kyuri… Soha… Aagi… Fera…" The words came out so easy. So simple, yet it felt like it took him every strength he had just to say them.

The blood circle glowed now, emanating with power and energy that it made Sirzechs feel small. This went to show just how powerful this spirit was. How powerful his little brother was.

"Miro… Hiath… Suro… Malef…" His vision growing blurry, he could feel something poking at him. Poking his heart, his veins, his arteries, his eye.

"S-Soraaaa…. Riuk… Fafer… W-Wsfèr…" And then he stopped.

He stopped saying things. He stopped breathing. He stopped looking. He stopped his heart. He stopped feeling. He stopped.

Stopped.

"Riven..?" Sirzechs called out, feeling unsafe all of a sudden. "Riven, are you—"

"…I…" The word came out too fast. Too fast for him to make out.

"What? Riven, I need you to speak louder," the Devil Maou was close to touching his shoulder, but his brother seemed to inch away from his touch. "Riven..?"

"Where…" He turned around, and his eyes were now yellow slits. "Where is this..?"

Sirzechs managed to suppress his rising gasp, unable to believe that his brother actually did it. And right now, he was speaking to the ghost of the Nekomata… the victim of this murder case.

"I-It worked…" The red-haired devil had to refrain from shouting. He straightened himself and gained his composure before speaking once more. "May I know who you are?"

"Y-Yiko…" The girl's voice was pleasant, beautiful. Unfitting of his handsome brother, but he managed not to cringe.

"I see… Can I ask what happened?" He asked, gesturing to the room they were in. By how her eyes widened in surprise, he could tell that she recognises this place.

"T-This… I was killed here…" She whispered, looking around as if she was trying to make sense of this place. To understand it once more, perhaps? "I died… there…"

She pointed close to the window, where many earthworms were busy working through the dirt. There was no hint of a corpse being there, however.

"I don't see your body. It could have decayed," he suggested. He had to make sure that what his brother said was absolutely right.

"No… I remember some… things…" She closed her eyes—Riven's eyes—in thought. "I remember him killing me… He poked at my eye with a syringe, before pulling it out… Then I remembered him pulling my head off… It was horrible…"

"I-I see…" The details were disturbingly gory, but to know more, he had to delve deeper. "Can I know what happened to your body?"

"Well… I remembered that there was a place where our master would keep preserved bodies. Mine could be there," she suggested, wanting to stand up, but falling back down onto her—Riven's rump. "S-Sorry. I don't think I can accompany you."

"No matter. I will go check on it myself," he shook his head. "Pray tell, where is it?"

"There is… an entrance, in the horse's barn," she told him. "It's hidden under all the hay… Look at section five."

'Five?' He wondered on her words, but decided to check on it firsthand.

He left for the horse's barn, having to shield his nostrils from the foul odour of manure and horse piss. How could people hope to live like this, and tend to the horses no less?

That day, he had a newfound respect for horse caretakers and those of whom that raised livestock in general.

"T-This place truly is dreadful…" He almost threw up, but there was no way he could let down his regal composure. He took a look at the sign board above each pen, noticing that there were numbers there. "Five, she said. I suppose it's somewhere here."

He searched each pen for the number five. Finally finding it, he entered the pen, stepping around where there was a large pile of sh*t. He gulped, thankful that he saw it earlier. He couldn't imagine scraping it off of his boots.

*Thunk.*

"Hmm?" He noticed that the supposedly wooden flooring that he was standing on was surprisingly slippery. Added to it that it felt harder than wood. 'Must be this entrance she talked about.'

He raised his arm towards the entrance, chanting a short string of words before whatever it was down there was flung right open. He flew down in, soon ending up in some form of meat freezer. What was strange about it, was that it was still cold.

'Does someone still live here..?' He thought, eyes narrowed. This was bad. If someone does live here, then he'd have to bring that person in for interrogation.

In any case, he searched the freezer, finding large coffins with a sort of chilling magic emanating from inside them. Opening each and every one of them, he looked through the corpses to find Yiko's. If he does find it, he could possibly use it in the case to settle with Kuroka's being innocent.

After a while of searching, he finally found it. Disconnected head, missing eye. Just as she described it. And horribly disgusting, no offense.

He returned back to the house.

"I've found your body, Yiko," he nodded. "And you were right, it's still there. In any case, I must know other things. Who killed your master?"

"Umm… I'm not sure. I was dead during that time, so…" The Devil Maou sweat-dropped. Of course she wouldn't know.

"R-Right… In any case, can I speak to my brother once more?" He requested, of which she nodded, closing her eyes before talking.

"Sirzechs… Did you get any clues..?" It was Riven's voice, without doubt.

"Indeed. Yiko did say that she lived under this master of hers, and her body is still here, preserved," he informed. "But Shirone killed him, right? So there must be some sort of accomplice in this…"

"Let's get back to that later… Then we can move on to the next part of the plan," he nodded, much to his brother's curiosity. "Sirzechs, bring the body here…"

The Devil Maou paled.

* * *

"Okay… I can get started…" The boy nodded, eyes still shut. The wisp up above was still bright, giving off a blue hue to the prince's midnight hair.

It hadn't been all that hard, so to speak. It was just like last time. However, to warp it into the house, he had to be careful not to further injure the body. He delicately set it on a table in front of Riven, patiently waiting fro whatever his brother was about to do.

"So Riven, how are we going to go at this?" Sirzechs asked, crossing his arms.

"I'm… about to… resurrect her…" He informed, earning a shocked look.

"Riven, I trust you and everything, but I strictly forbid it. Resurrection, unlike reincarnation, is a banned technique," Sirzechs gulped.

It was true. Resurrection was part of the dark arts, able to bring back a person from the dead. However, unlike reincarnation, where the soul perceives the form of a new body—for the Evil Pieces system, it was fine because the person gets turned into a devil—resurrection would return the soul to its original body.

It sounded safe, but the reason why it was banned, was because long ago, the process would have side-effects, most of which result to those revived ultimately getting consumed by the curses of madness. They turn mindless, attacking others without a care, and even went so far as destroying everything they see. As such, only reincarnation was allowed, and resurrection was checked off the 'Okay to do list'.

"Don't worry… I've got… it…" He smiled, patting the body. Slowly, he moved his right hand to where her heart was. "This… is the heart, right..?"

"Y-Yes," Sirzechs nodded, not having the heart to tell his brother that he was currently touching a dead Nekomata's breast. Some things were best left in the box, he supposed.

"Okay… We'll… need to do… a few modifications…" Riven summoned a needle and a bundle of thread from his pocket dimension, hooking the thread through the needle. "Sirzechs… Help me hold the head up… I will… sew the head and neck together…"

He blinked. He was going to sew those two parts together.

"Umm, Riven, will this work?" He asked.

"Ahh, true… The capillaries… won't connect… And the nerves have been disconnected…" He nodded, as if that was what his brother meant, which wasn't it at all. "No matter… I will fix that myself… Hold the head up… Don't let… it fall…"

Not fully understanding what his brother meant, he decided to do as he was told. It was disturbing to do so, but he held it otherwise.

The shrivelled skin was like crumpled tissue paper in his hands. Due to it being preserved, it still looked fine, but how it was kept through freezing made it somewhat harsh in his hands. The flesh was so hard yet mushy at the same time—not to mention that it was really cold—as if just a simple poke was enough to make a dent in her face.

Okay, he _really_ didn't need to think about that. Permission to forget that? Accepted.

Slowly, Riven began casting healing magic, letting it treat the broken appendages and any damages there has been to her neck. Sirzechs watched on with morbid attention to see how the capillaries and nerves began reconnecting and reforming itself.

"Is… it done..?" The prince asked.

"Yes, it is," if this was any other occasion, the Devil Maou would have surely been impressed. Unfortunately, he was too disturbed to feel so. "Okay, what now?"

"I will sew her head together now… Hold her…" He ordered, beginning to weave the needle through the skin and flesh.

It took some time. It wasn't that the circumference of her neck was too wide. No, it was only that he had to tie the head to the neck as tightly as he could, so to make sure it wouldn't drop off anytime. As such, he tied them using a lot of thread, watching as it poke through them all so easily.

But other than that, the Devil Maou was impressed at how his brother was capable of doing all these, despite his eyes closed. He didn't understand why, but he supposed that he'll ask afterwards.

"I-It's done," Sirzechs sighed in relief, setting the head on the table, gently as he could.

"Alright… Now… we need an eye…" He pulled out his pocket dimension once more, pulling out a jar of what seemed to be devil's eyes. "Here we go…"

"Uhh, Riven, where did you get that..?" The pureblooded devil asked, blinking in disbelief. Thank goodness those eyes didn't stare back at him like in horror movies, or he would have sliced the jar apart.

"Azazel… He said that… I had a good sense with witchcraft… so he gave me… some…" He answered, the Devil Maou growing a few tick marks on his head.

'I'd better have a talk with him about this afterwards,' he decided that it would be necessary. But for now, he pushed aside the thought, wanting to know what his brother was about to do. "So what? Are you going to connect the eye to her brain?"

"Indeed… I'll… fix this eye's optic nerve to the brain… It should work then…" He nodded, telekinetically lifting the eyeball into the air, before delicately fitting it into the empty socket. He casted healing magic once more, healing the area. "Done… Now, the… resurrection…"

"Do you know how to do this, though? It's a banned art, so all information about it has been expunged," he hummed.

"Yiko… is in my body… All I have to do… is let some of my blood flow into her… This should act as a connection… allowing her to enter her body once more…" He explained, cutting his thumb's skin with his incisor, before moving his finger into her mouth. "This… will act like a… bridge…"

Sirzechs _really_ didn't understand how any of this works. There was just no logic! Connection? Bridge? If they were connected spiritually, it could work, but all he was doing was letting his blood into her body. Was this enough?

Then again, his brother _does_ make the impossible possible. Trust in him, and everything will work out just as fine.

"Okay… Should be enough…" The boy nodded, sucking on his thumb to stop the flow. "One last touch… and she will be… revived…"

"If you say so," the redhead nodded, his frown still in place.

"Okay… Aniki-san… All we need now… is to infuse the soul… into the body…" The prince shakily stood up, possibly light-headed from losing the blood in his system. He held onto the table, grasping it tightly so to not fall. "Don't worry… I can do… the rest…"

He nodded, deciding to put his faith in his brother, just as he always will.

Without saying anything else, Riven outstretched his hand, touching her breast. In his mind, he was directly touching the spot where her heart was, but to Sirzechs, he was definitely touching her boob.

Muttering a simple chant, his arm and heart began to glow a bluish white, bright and brighter. His jaws apart in disbelief, Sirzechs watched as a flickering orb travelled down Riven's arm, to his hand, and into her chest. The bright light illuminated strongly when it reached her heart, dimming slowly and slowly.

Then, there was no more light.

"Okay…" Riven finally breathed out, rubbing his eyes and stepping away from the body. "It's done…"

"Really? I don't see any differences here," he eyed her, suspicious.

"Not yet, you won't…" The prince yawned, loud and stretched. "Sorry… Apparently keeping another soul in your body is pretty taxing… It makes you feel so weak… Never mind, let's get this done."

Done with his words, Riven took her hands in his, channeling lightning magic in his palms.

*Bzz!*

The flickering grew stronger as they pulsed in between their palms, jetting them back and forth before the lightning died down. He moved his ear to her chest…

*Td td..!*

"Her heart's beating…" He smiled, raising his head away from her breast. "Now we wait."

But minutes, or even hours, never passed.

"Mmnggh…" A soft hum escaped the now-alive girl's, accompanied with the soft movements of her eyelids. Slowly, they parted, showcasing the bright yellow and the slit of black. "I-Iahh…"

"It actually worked…" Sirzechs blinked, mind taken into a spin as he watched the girl on the table sit up, cutely yawning into her hand. "Dear Lord, Riven. You're a miracle worker…"

"Please don't say that… I'll only accept that line if I help a woman to give birth to her child…" He sighed. To be honest, he was slightly worried that this wouldn't work. If it didn't, he'd have no chance at proving Kuroka to be innocent.

So the plan was going to be extremely simple.

He would take Yiko to her master, get him to confess his sins, and that would ultimately free Kuroka. Easy as that, hopefully, but he knew there would be other things that he would need to take into account.

"Hhaaya…" The Nekomata, Yiko, looked around her, wondering where the boy who had saved her was. Looking to the redhead, she knew it was not him, due to how the smells weren't the same at all. She turned to the other boy, eyes widening in response. "You… must be Riven."

"Yes, indeed I am…" He nodded, the sane part of his mind deciding to comment on her beauty, even with the threads on her neck."And you must be Yiko, the Nekomata that lived under this man as his servant, right?"

"Yes, that's me…" She nodded, animal features popping out. Her soft, brown ears matched well with her auburn hair, as well as the puffy cinnamon tail behind her.

'…Bushy…' Inwardly gulped the prince, knowing that he had a soft spot for animals.

"Thank you for bringing me back to life… Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked, not at all worried about being with him.

"We need your help," he was now fresh awake, sounding like the usual Riven his brother knew. "Two of the girls that served the man, or… was he a human?"

"To be honest, he's actually half-human half-devil," she answered, both men in the room feeling their jaws drop in response.

'So he's not just a human…' Riven thought, mentally grimacing for such a strange, stupid twist.

'And he's not just a devil…' Sirzechs's own thoughts continued after his brother's, a look of disappointment on his features.

'He's both!' The two brothers thought in unison, a long sigh of shame shared between the two of them.

"Okay, let's just…" Riven decided to let it go, noticing how she tilted her head in confusion. His brother did the same thing, so he had to do so. "Okay, alright. We're cool, we're cool… Okay. Yiko, we'll need your help in a case."

"Anything," she nodded.

"Okay, here's the plan," he began. "Aniki-san, you'll take her to your mansion and keep her there. I'll call you when I think we'll be good to take this case on. Yiko, can you stay with him? He's a really nice person."

"Mmm… Okay," she nodded in assent.

"If you say so," he nodded.

* * *

Returning back to the secluded mansion in the forests, he entrusted Yiko's safety to his brother, something of which he had full faith would not be a mistake.

He decided that he'd first talk to Shirone about this first. She deserved to know, after all.

"Oh, Riven?" He perked up, noticing his sister still awake, wearing the same dress from the nights before. "You went out? Where?"

"O-Oh, uhh…" He was tired, tired, and exhausted. To answer her felt like picking a needle from a sea of toothpicks, but he managed to construct reasonable sentences after a while. "W-Well, I was feeling a little rusty, so I went training. Though, I took a visit to another land, because I thought you and the others would be asleep, so I didn't want to disturb your sleep."

An honest-to-goodness lie, but he supposed it would be better than telling her that he was busy investigating the case behind Shirone and Kuroka's current predicament.

"Aww, isn't that sweet!" She giggled at his sentiment, despite not knowing it being a pure lie. "You didn't have to go that far."

"Well, the training I did was pretty harsh. Look at how tired I am," he chuckled, stepping back and gesturing to himself. He was looking pretty worn out, she thought, noticing how his eyes looked droopy, a stark contrast to his constantly exuberant self.

"Alright, go and get some rest. I'm planning to stay up a little bit longer," she softly told him, the gentle, sisterly smile she had making him blush a bit.

That smile… each time he looked at it, it reminded him of the very same person that had been by his side his entire childhood.

But then the memory of that particular night just… that smile felt so different. It belonged to a succubus, but he didn't have the heart to bring it up to her.

There… had to have been some reason that she did that, right? She must know that whatever she did was not normal between two siblings, right?

Entering the mansion with a sigh, he decided to just forget it.

"No matter… Right now, I've got a friend to save, and that's what I'm going to finish this," he huffed, looking to the moon. "You hear me, world?! I will save her, no matter what!"

That, he swore on his family's name, as the son of Satan, and a member of the Gremory househo—

"Riven?" His sister's voice from outside made him jump. "Are you alright in the—"

"A-Ahh! It's nothing..!" He sheepishly chuckled back, quickly leaving the scene. "Sleep, sleep, sleep..!"

Hopefully his previous outburst didn't wake people up.

* * *

The Next Day—Underworld, Capital Lilith

Feeling that he wasn't ready to speak to Shirone about this just yet, he warped to the Underworld, making his way to a park there. He texted his brother to be there, of which he did. Wearing just the same royal outfit, except with a hairband this time. Why the hairband, he didn't know.

'Even then,' Riven thought with a little grin, approaching his brother calmly. 'He looks good with it.'

"So Riven, good day to you. Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Just fine on my end," he nodded, before allowing a sly grin to pop up. "But let's put that aside. What's with the new look?"

"Oh, the hairband?" The brother chuckled, his skin turning a faint shade of his own hair. "I thought I'd try something new. It's just… you always wear the earring, even though they're usually a girl's thing, so I felt like I wanted to try it as well."

"Well, don't let the weird looks get you down. You actually look nice with it," he offered a simple praise, lightening his brother's mood.

"Then I'm glad. I was worried you'd think this looked weird too," he chuckled. "Alright, so onto business. Did you at least tell Koneko?" The way his brother just whistled as he looked away just made him sigh. "You didn't?"

"S-Sorry. I don't think I could have told her, even if she deserves to know," he bit the inside of his cheek, before looking to his brother. "But I promise that I'll tell her someday. For now, I'd rather keep her in the dark."

"Well, okay, if you say so," the redhead nodded. "Just tell her when you feel it's time."

"Yeah, but… I have to tell her before the week ends," he gulped, steeled conviction returning to his eyes afterwards. "But for now, I want to know where Kuroka is. I need to talk to her."

"If you say so, " the brother gave a nod, standing up, followed shortly by his brother. "I'll take you to her, don't worry."

Summoning a magic circle underneath them, they warped away, red blinding their vision.

* * *

Detainment Centre

A figure moved in the containment centre, looking at the iron walls that detained her.

She was wearing the same type of detainment dress the mad ones wore in the asylums, except it wasn't a straightjacket or the like. It was just a lily-white dress.

She was indeed beautiful, wearing midnight hair that flowed down to her waist. Her yellow eyes, with the slit that acted as the pupil, only showed her what she really was. If it wasn't enough as indication, the black ears that protruded from the top of her head, as well as the multiple tails from her behind, told everyone that she was a Nekomata.

'21,' she counted, bored out of her mind. She hadn't been able to leave this cell ever since she accidentally started a fight with a devil in some other room. '22…'

There was a certain effect when you counted down. It made her calm, gave her the focus to think. But right now, so bored that watching the cloud were even better, which was impossible due to the lack of windows here, she couldn't find satisfaction from counting anymore.

" _Subject 18275, you have visitors_ ," the speakers on the wall, up above her cell door, blared to life. Her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

She hadn't had visitors ever since she came here. Who could possibly be here? It couldn't be… No, it couldn't be. She joined the Gremory heiress's peerage. There was no way she found her already.

"Ah, fine…" She sighed, rolling her eyes in the process. 'I suppose I'll find out myself…'

*Krring!*

The door to her cell opened, the friction great that it caused a scraping noise—her spine shivered as it traveled into her ears. The Nekomata snarled, cautiously following her heavily armoured guardians. They held batons, and were trained to deal swift punishment. Even if her senjutsu wasn't currently being locked, they would have no trouble neutralising her.

The cuffs around her wrists kept her powers under check, and she found herself annoyed by it. It was like… having a part of you locked away from you.

The chains around her legs dragged against the cold ceramic floor, clanking against any other nearby objects. It was beginning to ache her skin, the part where it was clamped by the chains growing red and itchy.

She arrived in a room separated from the visitors' room through a glass of sorts. There were phones beside each booth where the prisoners sat, allowing communication between them and their visitor.

"Sit down and wait," her guard ordered. She mentally snarled, following his orders in hopes of not getting smacked. Those bruises on her calves haven't disappeared yet, after all.

And it was because of those bruises that made it difficult for her to sit at all, but she managed after some time.

"Your visitors are coming in. You best behave before their presences," he added after she settled, and it got her curious. So her visitors were some big shots?

They were the ones that put her in here. She hadn't done nothing wrong! And her sister was not to blame; it was their master's fault here! He was the culprit, the true criminal!

'Pah, I don't care who they are…' She clicked her tongue, eyes screwed shut. Her heart was swelling with infuriation, hearing the footsteps entering the opposite room. "Gah, who the hell do you think you are?! To mock me? To spit on me?!"

And the moment she opened her eyes, her heart dropped.

There, dressed in a white dress shirt underneath a black sweater, with matching trousers with a brown belt and grey boots, he was just as dashing as ever. His black hair was the same, but the white ones were more noticeable, as his bangs had grown white. He was taller.

She remembered him. The boy who came to her home.

"N-No way…" Her eyes shook, slowly growing wet as she eyed the person before her. So many years they never met, but she could never forget that adorable smile of his, nor could she keep his lovely eyes out of her head.

"H-Heyaz…" He waved his hand, nervously gulping due to the sudden outburst from her. Even Sirzechs looked spooked.

"O-Oh!" Realising the cause of his reaction earlier, she sat down, averting her gaze away from him as she flushed. "I-I'm so sorry, Riven! I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd be here, and—"

"Wait, it's okay! We're not mad or anything, I swear!" He kept his arms wide in front of him, a shaky smile on his face—that outburst was still pretty surprising, to be honest. "W-We came here because we want to help you, Kuroka. I promise."

"H-Help..?" She perked up, the realisation dawning on her just as quick. "Who told you..?"

"Y-Your sister…" It was hard to look at her now. He could picture it now; the look of distrust, coldly stretched across her features as she felt everything she knew about him begin to crash down like a landslide.

He really looks down on himself a bit too much sometimes.

"Oh, I see…" The breath of relief was unexpected. Turning to look at her, slowly sitting across her now, she looked happy.

"You're not mad?" He asked. "I thought you didn't like it. Talking about your situation, I mean."

"I don't like it, true, but…" Her fingers played with each other, her smile not fading away—he realised now, as he looked at her, he missed it dearly. "But you're different! You came here not to just talk about it, but to… to help me, you say? I know I can trust you, Riven."

"I-I see," her overwhelming honesty was enough to make him almost break down there and then, but he managed to keep his composure steady. "Alright… Kuroka, can I… I need to know what happened. Shirone, your sister, she told me already, but I'd rather know how it was on your side as well."

"…Okay, I'll explain," she nodded, eyes brimming with trust for the prince. "It was… It was a few years after you left. We were living our lives as usual, until we encountered this man. Part devil, part human, if I remembered. In any case, we lived under him as his servants. Things were fine at first, until he suddenly started attacking us. Afterwards, another girl, Yiko I think, became his servant as well. But then, one day… He killed her. After that, we had to fight against him, but he managed to weaken me. Broke my leg with a hammer. Shaken beyond words, Shirone—"

"Used her senjutsu to retaliate, but accidentally killed him in the process," he finished for her, knowing full well that it would be hard for her to even say it. "She's stopped using her powers ever since, to the point where her growth became stunted. She may be fifteen, but she looks like a ten-year-old."

"Yeah… That's what happens when you lock your senjutsu," she nodded, a grim look on her face. "In any case, that's all there is. Shirone was taken in as Lady Rias's 'Rook', and I was detained here ever since."

The sigh she released sounded heavy, but he could make out a small sense of… relief?

"Hey Riven, how is she now? Is she… holding up fine?" Kuroka asked, her tails swaying to the left and right.

"She's good so far. She… I asked her where you were, so she began telling me about everything. She… broke down crying that night," he answered, clenching his fists firmly. "I just… I'm sorry. For not noticing sooner."

"Riven, we could never blame you," she smiled, touching her hand flat against the glass. He mirrored her gesture, his own touching where hers was, as if they were directly touching. Alas, this glass was stopping them from holding each other's hand, much to the girl's chagrin. "You had nothing to do with this."

"Well, I'm here to help you this time," he produced a look of seriousness this time. "I'm fighting for your case this time. I mean, both you and your sister helped me that one time, am I right? This time I'm helping you in return."

"Riven…" She didn't really expect to meet this person, the same child she had saved many years ago in the forest, but fate just has a weird way of working. She shook her head, smiling. "You don't have to."

"Actually, if I may," both heads turned to Sirzechs, who had a smile of gratitude. "I'd like to thank you, Lady Kuroka, for saving my brother from harm that day. Had you not have been there, I would've dreaded to know what could have happened to him," then he did a bow, surprising the Nekomata. "Thank you, very much."

"N-No! It's fine, really!" She raised her arms, watching as he stood up.

"In any case, there's actually a third visitor," the prince then turned his gaze to the guard behind him. "Can you call her, please?"

"As you say so, milord," nodded the guard before he walked out, getting a sly grin from the black Nekomata.

" _Milord_ , he says? Well well, aren't you quite the V.I.P. here?" Snickered the girl, getting a groan out of him.

"Please don't remind me… The most there is to me is that my father is Satan, and that's all," he sighed, getting a laughter out of the Nekomata.

"Haha! Nya, that's a good joke, Riven!" Her smile was fixed on her face, eyes not blinking as she looked at the two men before her, who just looked at her casually. "What?"

"I… wasn't joking about that last part, actually," responded Riven, seeing the girl's smile slowly faltering.

"Wait, what?" She was now looking at him properly, getting a shrug out of the prince. "Wait, you're actually..?!"

*Kah-chunk!*

The door outside opened, with the same guard from before walking into the room, escorting a sickly-looking Nekomata with bright brown hair and ears, with a bushy tail.

"Wait a minute—Yiko? Is that you?" Breathed out Kuroka as she stared at the other Nekomata, shock overtaking her.

"Hello, Kuroka," smiled the brunette. "It's nice to see you again."

"Brother here went through with the idea to resurrect Yiko," Sirzechs revealed, getting a spit-take from the guard, who had a cup of water in his hand, and a look of shock from Kuroka. "So yeah, there you have it. A necromancer, at your service."

"Hey! I do _not_ want to be a necromancer! Those guys are weird, I tell you," snorted Riven in response. "In any case, Yiko, Kuroka, you girls take some time to talk. Aniki-san, I'd like to speak with you outside."

"Of course," nodded the redhead before he spared a single smile at the other two. "Take care now, ladies."

When the two brothers left the place, they decided to take a seat at the prison's guests area, a neat and tidy place with coffee blenders, neat tables and chairs for use and some other things that Riven didn't really take into attention.

Sitting down on the couch, Sirzechs was the first to break the silence.

"So, how will we do this, actually?" He asked, a bit curious on how this entire thing will go. "First off, Kone—"

"Shirone brother," corrected Riven.

"Right. _Shirone_ already killed the man, am I right? So that fact still remains, so unless she replaces Kuroka's place, she won't be getting out of prison," he brought up an interesting fact, causing Riven to hum in thought.

"…Well, for certain, I won't put Shirone in prison. Kuroka would kill me for that," plus, it was the worst thing to ever do. "But don't worry. I've got a plan, actually."

"Really? And do you so mind to tell me what this plan is?" Smiled the older brother, in which Riven merely responded with his own grin.

Taking into account everything, including the death of the master and Yiko, the fact that it was actually Shirone who killed him, the abuse behind everything, he'd like to think that he had a pretty solid plan.

"Well, the plan goes like this…" It was time to take matters into his own hands, it seems.


	16. Chapter 16

"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

" _For him, it was easy._ _"_ _-_ Flashback / Emphasis

" **Here we go, guys!** **"** \- Inhuman Speech

' **Hah, ignorance.** **'** _-_ Inhuman thoughts

 **[Boost!] [Divide!]** \- SacredGear

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!* - Sound effects

* * *

-=Chapter 16: A Reunion of Three Friends=-

That Night

After everything had been settled, and he had been able to discuss with his brother, Kuroka and Yiko about what will be happening soon enough, Riven had then decided to end the discussion there, knowing four things.

One, Kuroka was probably already tired, so of course, after everything had been settled with, she would be returning to her cell room, napping away.

Two, Yiko was exhausted, due to trying to get used to living, when she had been… well, you know. Dead? And clearly, having lived in a situation where she doesn't have to worry about being controlled and told what to do and… well, you know that there's a lot of differences there.

Three, Aniki-san was still probably busy with a lot of other things, so he'd rather not disturb the man. He's already busy trying to manage the Underworld, so he may as well cut this discussion short.

And four… Riven _really_ wants to go to sleep. He's already stayed up for too long, he thinks.

And so, after much time, he had then returned back to the mountains, standing on a cloud as he looked down on the forest—yes, that should be physically impossible, but the best explanation there is to this is…

Magic. Abracadabra.

That's it, to be honest.

Many tend to assume that there's some greater explanation behind this strange occurrence, but one must be mindful to remember that some things never require such a difficult explanation. It is always the simplest answer that should provide the happy ending, most of the times.

In any case, he stared down at the ground, a patch of browns and greens barely visible from here up high. And amidst the small-sized trees, there stood the mansion, white bricks and genuinely tall. There were still some lights on, so everyone must still be awake, he thinks.

He yawns.

"Man… I really can't wait to go to sleep after this. I honestly don't want to wake up," he said to himself as he scratched the back of his head.

" **Not gonna** **'** **happen. You** **'** **re still going to have to train everyone tomorrow, you know,** **"** giggled the dragoness in his soul in his response, getting a groan.

Without further delay, he warped into his room through a magic circle, a simple trick he had picked up after watching Grayfia do it almost all the time. Immediately spotting his bet, it was the first thing to do to sit on it and get a moment to catch his breath.

Before he had come here, however, he had actually spent a bit of time in his room back in Sirzechs's mansion—to which he insists that it is home to the boy just as much as it is his own—to write a letter about the case to be sent off to the head of the Underworld—Zekram Bael, the leaders of the Devil Elders.

And then, well, everything else was history.

Two days. Today was a Tuesday, so on Thursday, he'd put this case that had Kuroka as a criminal to its end. He hadn't informed his parents, his sisters, his friends… No one knew, except he himself, Sirzechs and Kuroka. And Yiko and Eve, he supposed.

Although, to be honest, he wasn't sure what was going to be the outcome of it all, but he may as well just go for it.

One thing for certain, it wasn't going to be right to just leave everyone else in the dark. They deserved to know, after all.

Sighing, he got off from his bed and left his room, already missing the warmth of the bed.

He was at the living area for only the briefest of moments before everyone's attention shifted to him, and the teenager was quite thankful that no one saw him jump.

"Riven, there you are," Yuri rose from her seat, looking at her son with concern. "Where have you been? None of us have seen you at all the entire day. You weren't even here to train the others this afternoon."

"A-Ah, mother…" He flinched when her hand made contact with his face. The smooth skin against his own was comforting, but he really didn't need something to, ehh… 'distract' him "Sorry about that… I had an urgent business to take care of. I was with Aniki-san the whole time."

"Sirzechs?" Rias perked up, walking to him before taking his hands. "Riven, where were you exactly?"

"That's… exactly why I came back. To tell you," he calmed her, gently prodding her hands off of his—distant memories of _that night_ showed up, but he was quick to dismiss it, hoping that such a thing was just a spur of the moment and nothing more. "This… it's important. Very, very important. It's concerning Koneko."

"What?" The girl herself was busy sucking on a lollipop, but ultimately chose to set it aside. Judging by how serious her most favourite person in the world sounded, this must mean it was extremely important. "Yes, Riven?"

"I… I'd like to apologise, for not notifying you about this earlier," he spoke with a genuinely apologetic tone, giving a low bow that matched his words, much to her embarrassment.

"W-W-Wait, it's alright! I-I don't even know what it is!" She frantically waved her arms in front of her, sighing in relief when he finally stood back up.

"Koneko… No, Shirone," when he called her by her real name, looks of confusion were etched onto the faces of many, but those who did know who possessed the name, looked surprise. "I… met your sister today. She's been detained, isn't she?"

"Wait, how did you know about Koneko's sister?" The red-haired heiress looked a cross between surprised and confused. He couldn't decide whether she was one of them, so he decided both worked.

"Well, for one, we met a _really_ long time ago," he responded with the most nonchalant tone ever, looking at the ceiling. "I remember almost getting myself killed, but then Kuroka had been there to save me. Then she and Shirone had watched over me in the meantime."

"Almost got killed?!" Paled Yuri, unable to believe him.

"Aah, it wasn't bad! I didn't die, so that's something, right?" Nervously chuckled her son before he continued. "Anyways, this Thursday, I'll be going to court—"

"W **H** A **T**?! **"** Everyone basically yelled at him, utterly in dubiety as they stared at him, eyes wide with horror.

What had he done wrong?! They knew for sure that he wasn't a bad person to begin with! He was a kind person who spent time helping others, never having committed crimes in his entire life! What had he—

"Guys, not in the way you think!" He cried out, instantly smacking everyone out of their thoughts. "I'm not guilty of anything! I'm still safe, I didn't do anything wrong, I'm _innocent_! Let me explain!"

His simple outburst, added with the comical manner of him basically trying to get them to stop, instilled in them the knowledge that there was nothing wrong. With that, a collective soprano of sighs.

" **So, why** _ **are**_ **you going to court?** **"** Satan was the first to ask. He trusted that his son had good intentions to do so. If this was a study trip, though, they could always make time for it after the Rating Game.

Then again, he could never really think of why someone would actually want to go to some boring place where people decided whether someone should either be sent to prison, hung to death or be freed for a study trip.

Even a horse barn sounded more interesting.

…Cut that thought. Horses were scary.

"Basically, I'm summoning the true culprit behind the two sisters' case and initiating a sort of agreement with him, so to speak," he explained getting looks of confusion from everyone there.

"What do you mean by that?" It was such simple words, but even Issei found himself unable to understand.

"I'm just going to make him confess. Or, if need be, I'll see to it that we can strike an official deal of sorts just so that Kuroka's name will be cleansed of the supposed 'wrong' that she's committed," the prince added, getting an understanding 'Oh!' from the brunette, before it turned into a shocked 'Eh?!'.

"Whoa, damn, that's something," gulped Freed, a look of surprise on his features. "I mean, you're going to be fighting for an S-ranked criminal. You know, just from that information alone is going to get attention from the entire Supernatural world."

"No kidding. It will gain much attention, and I have no doubts that you will be put into the spotlight almost immediately," nodded Kiba in agreement.

"R-Riven, a-are you sure about this..?" Weakly asked the girl with white hair.

"Don't worry too much. Nothing's going to happen, I know it. Besides, I'm going to do my full best to make sure absolutely nothing will go wrong. That, I swear on my name as the son of Satan," he raised an arm, pounding it to his chest, a look of pride on his face that truly showed just how certain and determined he felt…

Before dropping to both his knees, whining and clutching the part where he hit himself at.

"R-Riven!"

"S-Sorry..! I _may_ have hit myself a bit harder that time…"

" **D-Damn** **…** **My son** **'** **s become a man..!** **"** Sniffed the burning wolf with pride.

And such was the night.

That, despite the seemingly heavy situation that was revolving around his friend, that which her sister was now in jail, and that he would be fighting for her case.

In all truths, however, he had not been planning to take things lightly to begin with. He had a responsibility to uphold, as a friend. And to repay the deeds that which two sisters had saved him, after having found him in a forest, alone and almost dead.

But for now, as long as there was laughter, as long as everyone were happy, he was happy.

* * *

The Next Night

Let it be known that the 'Demonic Blueblood' is indeed the son of the great demon king Satan and an exorcist. A unique couple with unique personalities respectively.

He was many things. An achieved student, a passionate learner, a loving individual, and one who was always willing to help someone out.

But in a world where danger doesn't necessarily take form as a… let's say, a wooden splinter, or a car accident, there is also the possibility of the biotic components. People, or monsters, ready to kill and destroy. And what then?

Will humans merely let themselves be reduced to mere waste? Heavens, no! Such prideful things, they are. They will not let something stronger than them to stop them.

No. In fact, they would rise and become _stronger_.

Riven had taken this lesson to heart, having believed initially that he could have been a human from the very beginning, only to rethink that when he learnt that he does indeed have the blood of a demon pulsing through his veins.

And, well, if your dad's Satan himself, it would make sense that you are powerful too, yeah?

*Boom!*

Well, for someone like him, a life-threatening situation was going to be a cakewalk.

Riven ignited his father's blue fire, setting off a powerful explosion that decimated the creatures that, just earlier, had him surrounded—silently muttering an apology to the poor things that were engulfed in the chain of explosions.

Wolves of some kind, yet larger than usual. Their eyes gleamed red as they stared down their target, ready to rip him apart with their silver fangs.

Trusting his body, he leapt forwards, pulling out Ascalon and Gram before cleaving two wolves in half. He parried an attack meant for him from behind, ending its life with a swift kick to the neck. The snap that came afterwards only solidified the fact that it was dead.

He leapt backwards, casting thunder at them, perfected with help from Akeno—who says that you can't learn more? He watched it zip from his hands, blasting away the canines with a smooth flow and leaving them charred.

After everything was done, when all the wolves were either dead or had already fleed, he deactivated [Royal Arcana], sighing. That skirmish took a little longer than he initially thought it would be.

Just this morning, the training had gone just right. Everyone were improving, just as he expected. It seems that Gasper and Asia finally got the hang of the magics he's assigned them with. Rias was just the same as ever, except he had her try to focus on applying her Power of Destruction in close combat. Akeno's mastery over water and ice were spectacular, able to cast the strongest type of said magic affinities. Everyone else did splendidly, and he was happy with the results.

'Mother was right. They just needed time,' he smiled, looking up to the little moon up in the sky.

During this whole week, he had been wondering on what he should be doing.

Honestly, to be deciding on saving Kuroka was something that he himself never thought he would honestly do in his entire life, but he supposed things happen every now and then.

Really, though, to think the very same girl who had saved him many years ago, from dying at the hands of a random assassin, was now an S-rated criminal who had been convicted of such a label against her will. One that, to this day, he still remembers. Like fate deciding to mess up with the entire story somehow.

But really though, he was more focused on saving Kuroka now.

His family continued to call him powerful. But his desire to grow stronger only grew as his desire to protect his family and friends for as long as he drew breath as well. Or was it that he wanted to be an excellent leader for his peerage? Issei and Freed definitely seemed to look up to him, no matter the situation.

Then again, he never really wanted to have a peerage. His initial plans was to fight under his sister's banner, so yeah.

"Man, I can't believe I didn't see this coming…" Sighed the teenager as he fell back onto the grass, feeling soil against his head. "Gotta' admit, that's pretty bad of me, huh Eve?"

" **Riven** **…** **Stop holding yourself responsible for what happened,** **"** Eve's voice rung from his cross-earring, a soft scolding. **"** **You know no one blames you for what happened to Kuroka. You weren** **'** **t even there to begin with!** **"**

"Well, yeah, but…" He raised his legs into the air before guillotining it back down. "But I should have known, Eve!"

" **Milord, you had left long before the incident even occurred. How were you supposed to know everything?** **"** Snorted the dragon.

"But dang… I made a promise when I was still a kid to make sure that everyone around me is happy! And look at what I did! I messed up, damn it. I just…" Sighing, he lacked the words to put his thoughts into an understandable phrase. Sure, he already knew what he felt, but he just couldn't reach it.

" **Listen, milord. There are some things you can** **'** **t always be there to stop, you know. So what if you didn** **'** **t know? They don** **'** **t hate you for that, because it was none of your business,** **"** she could tell that the teenager was someone who liked to pry into other's businesses, mostly to help and nothing more.

"…True, it's not my business. Then again, if you want to help someone, you need to know stuff about them to begin with, am I right?" He asked back, getting nothing as a response.

Looking up to the midnight sky, it was hard not to notice the millions of stars littered everywhere on the black paper called the vast space. And was that Leo? He could barely make out Big Dipper in the sky.

Space… something of which he had dreamed of reaching out to when he was a child, but he knew that Earth was a more beautiful world to stay on.

He was more than happy to be here. Plus, there were things that he had to do. And really, he needs to fix things.

"… **Hey Riven?** **"** She called, sounding surprisingly scared. The tone was a little bit shaky, a change not most would notice, but her partner did.

"Yeah?" He ignored it for now.

" **There** **'** **s a** **…** **umm** **…** **Actually, never mind! Sorry for bothering you!** **"** Tried as she might, but even she couldn't stop the lad whenever he got curious.

Something she had learnt so many years of living with her.

"Hey, hey, you can't just leave me hanging, you know! The suspense is killing me!" He cried out, wanting to know so very badly what was troubling her.

" **Nngh** **…** **W-Well, it** **'** **s something really small, to be honest, so you don** **'** **t need to worry too much about it** **…"** She replied.

"Eve, just tell me what's the problem. I'm willing to listen," his chuckle held with it a soft tone, soothing to her ears.

Chewing on her lips from within the cross-earring that lay rested against the grass due to his position, she pondered on whether she could honestly open up to him…

Only to tell herself that she could. That he was her lord—no, _friend_. Her partner, as he sometimes liked to refer to himself.

" **Weeellll** **…** **It** **'** **s just that, I had a nightmare a few nights ago,** **"** she admitted, getting a hum. Riven folded his arms behind his head, deciding to focus on her words. **"** **It wasn** **'** **t like anyone dying, to be honest. More like** **…** **like I lost a part of me.** **"**

It was hard to put it into words, knowing that she had made a vow not to reveal too much. But she knew where she could and could not say things, so she delved a bit more deeper into this.

" **See, before I was a part of your soul, I was** **…** **actually another person. Not a human, I can tell you that much,** **"** she added the last part quickly. **"** **I was something else. A** **…** **manmade thing, I think. And I remembered that there had been three parts of me.** **"**

"So one of them is your current self, and the other two is possibly the ones you say have been lost?" He asked, getting her to blink. He was surprisingly right, it seems, and it honestly surprised her.

" **Y-Yeah. Adam and Eden, two other beings that were me. Or, other parts of me, I suppose,** **"** Eve sighed, realising that this was way too hard to verbally explain. **"** **I remembered being put in a manmade world by my creator, and he had tried to kill everyone else in there. So I had to stop him, but** **…** **I guess, along the way, I came to develop feelings.** **"**

"In a manmade world… You came to love others, respect them, and you never became a lone wolf. Where your initial objective was to defeat your creator alone, it was the fact that you met all these people that you developed feelings, which prompted you to go out of your way to protect everyone," he voiced out her next words himself, getting her to gasp.

It was so easy to forget it. To forget the simple fact that he was a prince, the most intellectual person in this entire world.

Hidden behind the innocent smiles, the cheery gazes and clumsy movements, he was indeed a prince. You'd just have to look hard enough to notice it.

" **Y-Yeah. You** **'** **re right,** **"** she coughed into her talons, suddenly finding this to be pretty awkward. **"** **My loved ones** **…** **I don** **'** **t know what happened to them. I don** **'** **t even know whether they made it out alive. I don** **'** **t even know their names. But even then, I have no regrets. I now live here, with you, and I promised to serve you.** **"**

"I see…" It was so much to absorb. To understand, but he was fine with it. "A really long story, and I still feel that you're hiding way too much from me, but that's in your own rights. Now I want to know why you're telling me all this."

" **Because I trust you, milord. I** **'** **ve never disclosed this to anyone else besides you, because I** **'** **ve seen you grow. Lived with you my entire life, and I know that you** **'** **re the most trustworthy person there is,** **"** she hummed back. **"** **Plus, I want you to know one more thing.** **"**

"Know what?" He quirked an eyebrow.

" **I** **…** **don** **'** **t regret things anymore. And as far as I know, my selves are gone, but I** **'** **m still breathing. I have a mission to uphold, just as they once did,** **"** there was the sound of longing in her voice, laced with admiration. **"** **And that is to serve you, and help you towards your own ending.** **"**

"Hehe, then I'd better work hard to get the 'Good Ending' of this story," he chuckled, pushing himself off the ground. "Well then, I think we should get some shut eye. Plus, I'm going to need a sandwich."

" **Haha, you and your need to eat, milord,** **"** she giggled.

And thus, the prince warped away, his mind clearer and Eve's heart much lighter. They found a confidant in each other, though they already knew that from the very beginning.

* * *

Somewhere Else, Beyond the Touches of Space and Time

" **You have done well, Eve** **…"** Snake smiled, laying his gigantic tail against a pillar, making sure not to rock it backwards. He casted a grin at his friend. **"** **I** **'** **m surprised, though. To think that she ultimately chose to speak about this to the young lord.** **"**

"Indeed, it is. A pleasant surprise, however. Now their trust in one another is stronger," the man chuckled, the tomb at the centre of the room pulsating. "You must agree, it must have taken a lot of courage for her to do so. I mean, it's not easy to tell anyone that you came from another world, much less lived as a boy. Wait, did she say that last part?"

" **I don** **'** **t believe so. Well, it** **'** **s simple to say that she has been reincarnated, then,** **"** he nodded, breathing fire into the air. Rather than smelling like fumes and combustion, it had the fresh scent of mint in it. **"** **I do wonder why that has happened though. Do you know why?** **"**

"Do you know the man who created the mechanical beings?" Drake this time, letting his leg rest on the other in a crossing way. He chuckled, delicately brushing his fingers along the throne's edges. "It's as he has said, 'Some things are best left forgotten, forever'."

And the man and dragon decided that it was the best answer.

* * *

Thursday—Court Skaði

It was 11.00 a.m. The single day he'd have the strength to free Kuroka from her prison. To set her free from the sin she had not committed—even then, he would never dare point fingers at Shirone either. To remove the blind debuff from the masses.

Okay, maybe he _has_ been playing a bit too many games, but let's put that aside.

He had left the mansion they were staying at early, with everyone else joining him a moment later. Arriving at the court, it was a difficult task for every man and women there to avert their gaze from the prince.

He walked straight in, already fitting the role he was to play for the day. And in all honesty, when he came to Grayfia earlier that morning, asking for some advice and whatnot, he didn't expect her to suddenly go scared with worry.

Maybe he should've asked for the clothes _before_ he told her that he was going to court.

Anyways, after making sure to explain everything properly to her, which finally got her to calm down—much to his appreciation—she had then decided to help him with his clothing.

Dressed in a black suit with a white shirt underneath and black pants, the red tie he wore was the only thing that was out of the ordinary. Black boots clacked against the floor as he strode across the room, the confident look on his face earning him points among those that saw him.

Although, it felt kinda' tight. And suffocating.

Off to the spectators' area did everyone go to. They couldn't help but worry, considering that he was going to do this alone. Even then, they decided to trust Riven on this. He was always one hell of a miracle worker. There would be no doubt he would be able to do it again.

And there, descending the stairs, was his brother himself, red-haired and everything, wearing a business suit that matched his appearance. Red exteriors with a white shirt, he opted to go with a cravat instead, giving him a sort of 'French look'. He came to Riven, hands pocketed in his blue pants.

"Aniki-san?" There was a brief moment of silence, before he spoke up once more, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to assist you," he answered with a simple smile. "This may be your case, but I've seen my fair share of detective anime. The attorney always had an assistant, didn't they?"

"Hmm, true," he nodded in understanding. "But hey, thanks for me helping me out. I… don't think I would have been able to do this on my own."

"Of course, brother. Any time," he smiled back, now standing by the prince's side, awaiting the moment. "Plus, two things."

"What things?"

"Grayfia would have killed me if I didn't help you."

"Oh. And the second thing?"

"You're starting yourself off with a homicide trial right off the bat. Isn't that exactly like Phoenix Wright?"

"Hush, brother. We don't need to talk about that…"

* * *

Thirty Minutes Later

*Tuk. Tuk. Tuk.*

Walking to where the defendants were seated at, Kuroka could not help but feel nervous as she awaited the tapestries of fate to unveil, undoubtedly determining where her head lies.

Either on her shoulders, or off to the guillotine.

Riven had read on what sort of system the Underworld was using. They were using the 'bench trial' system which was much easier, if he had anything to say about it. It was where both prosecution and defence would face each other, wielding evidence to either make or break. Though he had read up on those lead by the jury, he found himself particularly in an advantage here, for some reason he himself doesn't know.

"The court is now in session," the judge spoke, his grey hairs ever at the ready, taking his seat. "For the trial of Miss Kuroka, the S-rated criminal of the Underworld."

Immediately as he said that, sneers and distrusting looks were sent towards her way, making her hang her head. The people wondered just why the wonderful prince was fighting for her.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," the devil who was playing the role as prosecutor stood there, grey suit ready.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Riven answered right after.

Immediately, where the judge sat, the walls seemed to shift, before swivelling, revealing high resolution TV's, separate for each lawyers to use.

'Damn, this place is rich,' the prince whistled in his mind, honestly amazed that they got this for the court.

"Very well. Your opening statement, Mr. Dweilinder," the judge spoke.

"At once, Your Honor," he bowed, before beginning to speak up, as the picture of the master came to fill in his own TV. "The victim is Marko Freija, a forty-four-year-old human-devil halfbreed, who lived in the village close to the Underworld's borders," the picture shifted to his house and barn. "Years ago, he was found dead in his own house," the picture shifted once again, showing him sprawled on the floor, burnt from Shirone's senjutsu attack. "We have concluded that he had been murdered from the autopsy results and the state of the scene. Time of death is estimated to be around 7 to 8 p.m. The cause, a senjutsu attack. I may not be able to present evidence to the court, but the defendant is indeed possessing such power."

'Dear Maou, couldn't you have _not_ taken everything from the anime..?' Riven sweat-dropped.

"Is what Mr. Dweilinder said true?" The old devil asked.

"…Yes," the girl knew her position well, and had to abide by its laws lest her execution comes to her faster.

"Accepted," he nodded. "However, we would like proof that she was there at the time. Do you have any?"

"Of course, Your Honor. The prosecution would like to call its key witness to the stand," Dweilinder voiced out, gaining several mutters of surprise from the crowd.

"Very well. Escort the witness to the stand," the old devil commanded.

In walked the witness of the 'crime scene', Fijar Kuroshima, who was really a burly man with a cold gaze, dead red eyes and running black hair.

"Hello," the witness greeted, giving a postured bow.

"Damn… He has a witness…" Riven held every urge he had just to bite his thumb.

"This certainly won't be easy, that much is certain," the red-haired Devil Maou nodded.

"Please state your name and occupation," the judge requested.

"I am Fijar Kuroshima. I dabble in the works of a humble apothecary," he greeted, sounding much too dignified to just be an apothecary, in Riven's head.

"Please tell the court what you saw on the day of the murder," he requested once more.

A nod from Fijar, and the prince in the room was more attentive than ever.

"As part of my business, I travel around the region, selling medicine that I have concocted at home. That day, I was about to sell my latest homemade medicine to the house owner, when I saw a black Nekomata hurriedly leaving the vicinity of the area," he recounted. "I was somewhat concerned, so I looked inside, wondering what was going on. And then, I found him. A man lying, close to the wall, dead. Of course, I was not prepared to go in at all, and thus had to contact the local police to secure the body."

'Hmm… Strange. He never mentioned the time… I'll get that from him afterwards,' the prince thought to himself.

"The defense may begin your cross-examination," the judge spoke once more.

"As you say," the prince nodded, placing his hand on his chin.

This was bad. Like, _really_ bad. There was nothing wrong with the prosecutor's statement at all. He had personally taken the time to get the details from Yiko about everything, and there was no contradiction to make. Everything he said was top notch.

The only thing he could do was admit that it was Shirone who did it… but then she'd be the one put behind bars. He could get Yiko to act as witness, but he decided later.

Pouring every tactical advantage he had on the table, he only had a few cards to play. This was a risky gamble, one that would undoubtedly have his friends' lives teetering on the brink of life and death. And he was going to win it, no matter what.

First, the time.

"Mr. Kuroshima, I noticed that, during your statement, you had not spoken of the time," he pointed out. "I'd like to know what time it was when you discovered the body."

"Ah, yes, forgive me. It slipped my mind," he chuckled. "I was there around 4.50 p.m. When I called the police, they arrived an hour and ten minutes later, and determined his death to be two hours ago."

'So the autopsy was done on 6 p.m, huh?' He clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, a brief look of sympathy on Kuroka. She was in a bad position, and he wasn't helping at all.

"Riven," Sirzechs called, earning his brother's attention. "Here, you may want to use this."

Handing his brother the autopsy report, Riven briefed through the report. It was important to check it, in case there were details that could ultimately prove to be his trump card in this verbal war of evidence, testimony and verdicts.

Upon finishing, his eyes widened in surprise.

"A chance…" He muttered to himself, before raising his voice. "Your Honor, there is a mistake the witness has made!"

"Really? And which part of it?" He asked.

"What the prosecutor informed us of, is that the autopsy revealed his death to be around 7 to 8 p.m. However, this contradicts with the witness's statement, as he said that the death happened at four," he pointed out, a visible flinch from the witness.

"Well, witness? What is your statement?" The judge asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"A-Ahaha… I made a small error, I see. Although, I do not truly see what is so important about the time here," he smiled, earning a hum of thought from the prince. "Milord, you must be careful with your words, lest you fall into a mistake you cannot climb out of from."

Riven searched the autopsy report for something once more.

A clue! That was all he needed! Kuroka's life was on the line here, and he doesn't have the luxury to folly! He had to make this work!

"Hmm..?" His eyebrows raised, the prince gasped in shock at what he read. "No way…"

"Very well then. It seems that the defense has nothing more to offer," the judge huffed, lifting his mallet. "I deem the defendant—"

"Wait, wait! I found something! And this contradicts even with the supposedly guilty's words!" He cried out, earning collective gasps from the crowd and even the ones in play.

"O-Order! Order in the court!" He smacked his mallet on the pedestal until everyone was silent. He cleared his throat before speaking once more. "I do not understand what it is that you mean."

"I, uhh…" He gulped, realising that he _may_ have accidentally let out a slip. "Okay… I'm going to do this. I'd like to call my secondary witness to the stand."

"Secondary?" The judge tilted his head.

"Yes, well…" He looked to Shirone, the latter shuddering in response. "Shirone, will you?"

"U-Uhh…" She blinked, still in shock. After it lifted, she left the spectators' area, now standing at the stage. Except, she was far too short, so Riven lifted her to sit on it. "…Thank you…"

"Yeah," he nodded, before speaking up, loud enough so that the whole court could hear him. "Shirone, I need you to open up to everyone here. Admit to the mistakes that you _believed_ to have made."

"W-What the hell?!" Kuroka jumped from her seat, accidentally knocking the guard supervising her backwards. "Riven, what the hell?! I thought you'd promise to keep that a secret!"

"Indeed, I have. But there is a huge contradiction in _everyone_ _'_ _s_ statements," he answered, look of utter disbelief shot here and there—even Sirzechs was confused.

"Very well, if you say so," the judge nodded, before staring down at the little girl. "Witness, please state your name and occupation."

"K-Koneko Toujou, or Shirone, first year at Kuoh Academy…" She whimpered slightly.

"Very well. Your statement on the matter," he pushed on.

"Shirone, you need to trust me on this," Riven sounded pleading, as if he was begging for this one moment. "I know what to do. Just tell everyone. You're my ultimate trump card, and I need you."

"Y-You _need_ me..?" She blinked back, taking it in another way that she blushed.

"Yes, I need you," he nodded, still not understanding why her reaction was that way. "So please, just admit everything to the court. I'll deal with the rest."

Sharing this brief moment together, she weighed the decisions. On one end, she could do as Riven told her to, and allow every bit of details out for the world to know. On the other, however, she could remain silent, which could ultimately result in her sister's loss.

But most of all, she feared losing his trust. As such, she decided to put her faith on him.

"The man that raised my sister and I… We served him as our master, and lived long years together. One day, he went mad, and would beat us up during the night," it felt so hard just to say this, but the warmth that emanated from Riven's hand unto hers was enough to spur her on. "And then, he brought in another Nekomata, Yiko. After that, a few days later, he… killed her. As such, I had to kill him, using my own powers. It wasn't my sister…"

Gasps from everywhere filled the room.

"Order! Order in the damn court, please!" The judge yelled, silencing the noise with his mallet. "So you are saying that you are the one guilty, and not your sister?"

"Y-Yes…" She nodded, hoping so much that Riven could turn the tables.

"I see. So it is clear then, that you are the true culprit behind this case," he sighed. "To think that you admitted yourself to the crime."

"Except it wasn't her crime at all," the prince suddenly spoke up, earning looks of surprise from everyone.

"And what do you mean by that, Lord Riven?" Even in the court, he found it pretty embarrassing of how he was being treated as royalty as usual.

"What we have heard today, is that the victim was killed by senjutsu, based on Mr. Dweilinder's words. This is solidified by Shirone, rather it is the shift of the blame," he voiced out. "However, there is a massive contradiction to this whole case. In fact, neither Shirone nor Kuroka are the ones guilty of their master's death. All of us just didn't see it."

"Wait, what?" Sirzechs himself blinked, feeling somewhat left out.

"I've skimmed through the autopsy report, and there is a huge difference between the cause of his death," he smiled, looking confident. Good, he thought. This could get the enemy to falter.

"T-There is no way! The cause was of burning! Senjutsu does exactly that!" Dweilinder retorted.

"Indeed. Then, if you say that," he pretended to look at the report in an amused way. "Why does it state that there were traces of magic there?"

Gasps, _again_.

"Order!" He yelled, tired of this gag happening over and over, though he wasn't against the mallet part—it was fun!

"As you see, senjutsu is a hereditary power, passed down those of Nekomata blood. It is exclusive only to that family line, unlike magic, which can be honed by all races," he informed. "As you all know, magic relies on mana to function. However, senjutsu does not act the same way, as it is simply a… _life force_ , as you may. You don't need mana to activate senjutsu, so this is something that I _had_ to bring up."

"Hmm. An interesting find," the judge nodded. "However, we still do not know who has caused the death of the victim."

"Well then, Your Honor, I only need to ask one last question from my witness," he smiled, turning to Shirone, who had a look of pure bafflement—understandable, as she had lived with the thought of having to have killed a man, when even she had mistaken herself all this while. "Alright, Shirone. I'd like to know, when you attacked him, when did you escape?"

"O-Oh, uhh…" She looked down, trying to remember. "I-I'm sorry. I don't remember."

"Don't worry, I still got this," he reassured her, much to her confusion. "Your Honor, now I wish to call upon my key witness to the stand. And this person is also tied to the case."

"You have a key witness?" The prosecutor blinked.

"Uhh, yeah. You know what they say, 'Always save the best for last', I guess?" He offered, getting murmurs of agreement from the crowd.

"I see. Very well, escort the witness to the stand," the judge called out.

And in came a familiar face for both the Nekomata sisters, whose eyes were threatening to bulge out of their sockets.

She stood there, at the stage, with Shirone and Fijar making space. Dressed in a blue gown, detailed with soft flower patterns that could barely be seen. The hem of the dress had golden embroidery. She wore glass slippers, almost making everyone mistake her for Cinderella.

"O-Oh my," the judge blinked, blushing for a soft while, before coughing into his fist. "Milady, your name and occupation, if you may."

"O-Oh? R-Right, sorry," she nodded, the stitching on her neck becoming visible now. "I am Yiko, a victim of my master, who is the supposed victim of this case. I am currently unemployed, though I did work part-time at a maid cafe."

"Don't tell me… Is it the one in Capital Lilith?" Riven asked, shakily groaning when he received a nod.

"Well, the place has such cute outfits! I couldn't hold myself back!" She giggled, before looking to the judge. "My master took me in when I was being chased by poachers. A few weeks after, he killed me. After that, I cannot say."

"U-Uhm, well, you say that he killed you, but you're definitely… how to put it? _Alive_ , here," the judge pointed out, very shocked and very confused.

"Ah, yes, well," she gestured to Riven. "Lord Riven here had contacted my spirit through channeling, then revived me!"

"Huh?" Kuroka stood up. "Wait, he _resurrected_ you?"

"It was pretty tiring, I admit that," he casted a look behind, soft gaze landing onto yellow orbs that had her face bloom in response. "But it was all worth it."

"I-I see…" She mumbled, amazed by that.

"In any case, I just need to know one thing, Ms. Yiko. What was the time when you were killed?" He asked.

"Oh, that. I was making tea for my master during the time, and it was…" She checked the clock, leering at it for a while.

"Yes..?" He pushed her.

"…I can't read clocks," she admitted, oblivious to how everyone in the room immediately fell down in a comical manner.

"Gosh darn it…" The judge sighed, picking himself up. "Okay, we'll need a digital clock. Does anyone have a digital clock?"

"Oh wait, now I remember!" Yiko smiled, earning attention from everyone. "It was around 4.50 in the afternoon!"

"My thoughts exactly," the prince grinned. "Based on what Mr. Kuroshima stated, it seems that he came upon the body at exactly that time. And when he called the police, they arrived at six. The true autopsy is between seven to eight. So I propose to you an idea, what if Mr. Kuroshima was there at six?"

"Ho? It sounds like you're trying to shift the blame to me," Fijar couldn't help but feel nervous on they inside. The look of absolute sureness from the prince scared him.

"Indeed, that is what my proposal is," he nodded. "You see, the report states once more, that they reached the crime scene only around 7.10 p.m. This is in between the timing of which it is reported of his death. If you were truly there at 4.50 p.m, it would take a whole two hours and twenty minutes for them to be there. I smell something fishy here."

"I don't…" Whispered Issei from where he sat in the crowd, getting a jab to his shoulder from Shirone.

"D-Damn it… It's no wonder you're a respected leader, milord…" He was fidgeting clearly now.

"Indeed. I don't plan to disappoint," he chuckled, before his seriousness came forth. "As such, the only reason you mentioned yourself being there at 4.50 p.m," at that, he pulled out a clock, before putting on the evidence table. "Is because the clock said so, didn't it? However, your mistake was the fact that the clock had already died, indicated by the fact that there were no batteries."

Okay, that last part he made up, but he couldn't really lie that it wasn't _too_ bad. Then again, the look of fear that he got must have mean that what he said was indeed true.

"H-Hmph! And how can we be certain for sure that you had not tampered with the clock in the first place?" He asked, sounding like a challenge.

"Because dude, this clock is like a few years ago. Tell me how I'm supposed to do that in the first place," he sighed, being completely honest there. "Plus, I warped it home. If you don't believe me, you may run a scan over it, and will find no other fingerprints on it."

He looked to everyone in the room, all with shell-shocked looks and murmuring amongst one another. He saw no looks of challenging, and the prosecutor who was supposed to be backing Fijar looked like he wanted to run.

"In any case," his voice raised up, getting everyone's complete attention. "I have the complete story in my mind."

And in such a short time, it was just the two of them, staring down at each other with a look of malice, Fijar, and steady composure, Riven.

"So, it is either me presenting it to the court, or you could speak now," he offered, earning a look of maddening frustration from the supposed 'witness'.

"So, Mr. Kuroshima, is there anything that you wish to say?" The judge asked, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

The tables have been turned. The cards have been played well. For some reason, he could feel his [Royal Arcana] accumulate with power, much to his confusion.

"Go on, Fijar. Everyone are just dying to know," Riven chuckled, before his expression grew sombre. "And I'm sorry that I can't ascertain your true reason for doing this. I only discovered the reason why you did all of this just now. But I think I can put in a bit of light on this issue of yours."

He pulled out a letter, shocking Fijar.

"This letter. It was your mistake to put in your address from the very beginning," he placed the letter on the table of evidences with a sigh. "This letter's addressed to their master, who is named Mura Masakoto, based on what you wrote inside. In it, you had spoken of how you were planning to visit him, to 'end severed ties'."

He opened up the latter, revealing what was contained to the public eye.

"During my search over the place at the last minute, I stumbled upon this in a wooden box. It was heavily guarded, possessing many incantations to protect it from magic," he recounted, placing said box on the table. "What struck me as curious, was the fact that you had a daughter. You said you were going to 'end severed ties', which was obviously killing him."

Fijar said nothing, watching as the prince go on.

"R-Ridiculous! That box could have just been there only when you visited it!" Dweilinder scoffed.

"No, it's not it… When I was taken in, the box had already been there," Yiko interjected, nodding to Riven, who pulled out a picture, placing it on the table. It was one of her, the sisters, and their master.

And behind them, on the table, was a box.

"The reason why you travelled to Mura's house just to kill him, because he never paid his debt to you. You needed the money because you were using it to pay for your daughter's medical bill, and because you failed to do so, she…" He stopped himself there. No need to reopen healing wounds.

But he did pull out a death certificate, placing it on the table. It was accepted as evidence.

"Before you start saying that you do not know who the girl is," Riven interjected one final time. "Her surname is the same as yours. Kuroshima. I've checked up on reports of deaths all in the Underworld," he pulled out said report, listing multiple deaths that were hard to truly ascertain. He placed it on the table.

"…You truly went to so many lengths, hmm?" The witness smiled.

"Of course. The truth must be elucidated if justice is to exist," he answered back, finally staying his tongue.

This was it. The moment of truth. His testimony would define his success, or defeat.

"…Very well," he nodded, moving to the stand once more. This time, it was just as the prince expected—a look of peaceful defeat. "I am indeed… the one who killed their master."

"My word…" The judge blinked, unable to take in this shocking confession, as did the onlookers. Even Sirzechs couldn't understand how all of this played out. "Continue."

"…Their master, Mura Masakoto, was an old friend of mine. He was a genius, being a human-devil halfbreed, but he was someone who never paid his debts. This was no exception with me as well. Because he always borrowed without paying, I was quickly losing money. And as you know now, my daughter could not be cured, and passed sooner or later. I went to his house under the guise of an apothecary. I reached there at six. I was going to talk to him, until I realised that several girls were leaving the place in a hurried fashion. When I went in, I saw a dead body, as well as Mura himself, heavily injured. Feeling myself unable to take in the fact that he was going to die without paying me back, I killed him myself using fire magic, before taking his money from his safe," he recounted, a heavy sigh at the end.

The room fell silent for a dreadfully long time, with no sounds made after his confession. Not even the judge looked like he wanted to say something, for he was too shocked by the revelation to even say anything.

Riven, having been determined to save Kuroka from all of this, found himself visibly taken aback, given his look of surprise. He may as well have discovered all the facts, but hearing the entire story properly…

It was a painstakingly long minute—one that felt like a lifetime to the prince—before the judge made his decision.

*Smack!*

"Arrest the witness immediately!" The judge ordered as his mallet met the pedestal, and soon came in a wave of guards, arresting Fijar for his crime on the spot, cuffing him and taking him out of the court room, with the audience looking on in shock.

And as such, the battle was finally over.

'In the end, he was a victim too, huh..?' The prince frowned, feeling himself equally disappointed as he was happy.

Of course, he managed to set Kuroka free from her imprisonment, but now it meant that someone else were to take her place. Someone who only wanted to save his daughter, but had died long ago. And all of it because of the 'victim', who was the true perpetrator to all of this.

'I suppose nothing in this world is ever fair…' He sighed, watching Fijar accepting his fate far too easily.

"Well then, with that all over," the judge looked to the prince. "I must say, I am quite impressed. To think that this is your first ever case, and you've managed to identify the true culprit as well. Truly, none of us had seen it coming."

"Like I said before, I didn't plan to disappoint," Riven smiled, the view of Fijar forever gone, as he disappeared out of the room, carried by the guards. "But thank you, nonetheless."

"Well then, I shall hand down the verdict. Miss Kuroka is declared," he spoke up loud and clear. "Not guilty!"

Praises and cheers erupted from the crowd, resounding within the enclosed walls. A look at the sisters told him enough; they were happy. He was happy. And this was what he wanted. The guilt he felt long dissipated, he would forever keep it away from his heart, burnt to the ashes.

"As such, the court is adjourned," the judge decided, smacking his mallet against the pedestal for the day, one last time.

* * *

That Night

So Riven's won a case, that's something.

His family were impressed, his friends did not stop raining all the praise on him, and everyone else just couldn't help but feel amazed. He could not help from blushing, however, not so used to praises all the time.

As such, to celebrate his massive success, they had booked a fine-dining restaurant, all of it solely for him alone.

Because if they ever went back home, _he_ _'_ _d_ be doing the cooking, and that wouldn't be fair! This was _his_ time to relax!

"Man, Riven, you were so cool back there!" Issei laughed, chucking his glass of apple juice down his throat in one gulp. "I mean, it was like you were the judge or something! I couldn't tell what was true or whatnot, cause' you were making everything so cool!"

"A-Ahaha… It was a spur of the moment, I suppose," the star of tonight chuckled, embarrassed. "To be honest, I was really hoping for things to work out. Sure I looked sure, but to be honest, a small part of me thought that I was going to lose it."

"Well, you whooped his ass good in the end, mate!" The brunette snickered, earning himself a smack to his head from Rias. "Ow!"

"Language, Issei," she chided, before her gaze turned softer. "But he's right nonetheless. What you've done today was really amazing. Give yourself a little bit of credit, brother."

"Oh no, I could never. The only reason I succeeded in the first place was because the witness made a slip with his words. I doubt I could have actually gotten the jump on him by normal circumstances," he shrugged, drinking from his coffee, until he received a jab to his shoulder, gaining his attention.

"Dude, everything went well in the end, ya' know? Maybe you should get a job as an attorney?" Freed suggested with a sly glint in his eyes.

"No. Just, no," he deadpanned. "I am not going to do that ever again. I was getting goosebumps all over me, Freed. There's no way I could ever do that. And nothing in this world will make me decide otherwise."

"While that is what you say now, I can't help but feel as if you'd be able to pull it off once more in the future," Kiba, sipping from his glass of chilled sarsi, chuckled. "You truly are a worker of miracles."

"Of course. He's Riven after all," Rias winked at him, a seductive method that had him blushing immediately.

"A-Anyways!" He had to switch this fast, lest he get caught in a crossfire between the women here. And there were a _lot_ of girls here. "So Kuroka, now that you're a free woman, what are your plans? Of course, if you don't have a place to stay at, you could always live with us for the time being until you've decided."

"True that. Apparently, Riven's adoptive parents renovated his house to have extra floors underground, and they were awesome!" The lecherous brunette joined in. "Heck, he even had a whole floor for bathing! A spa area! It's every man's paradise!"

"…Chance for you to peep on girls," Koneko interjected, earning a nervous chuckle from him.

"Wow, really? I'm so jealous, nya!" The black Nekomata giggled, looking to her saviour. "But God, I can't even… Riven, thank you. So many years, and we reunite with you saving me, just as I saved you when we first met. Such a strange twist, huh?"

"Huh, that _does_ sound pretty coincidental, now that you mentioned it," he chuckled.

"But I doubt that's actually pure coincidence, nya. I'd rather say…" And she leaned in, capturing all attention unto herself—jealousy from both girls and Issei—as she whispered in his ear. "Destiny~..!"

"Ahaha!" He stood up, in one instant moment, rigid and stiff as any other rod. "I have to go! Nature calls!"

And off he walked away, movements equivalent to a mechanical being's, disappearing from the dining area and into the restroom.

"Haa… He really needs to practice with girls more…" Rias, ever the doting sister she is, sighed, before a twisted smile replaced her features, accompanying that sweet glare she gave.

"Man, and he gets all the ladies' attention in the end…" Issei slumped into his seat, blowing a raspberry in disappointment.

"Maybe it's just predestined..?" Gasper suggesting, earning a groan from the brunette. He looked to Koneko. "Did I say something wrong..?"

"Don't worry about him. He's just jealous," Koneko shook her head, a grin plastered on her face ever since they left the court.

"O-Okay…" A jealous Issei was a dangerous Issei indeed, but as long as the girls were here, he supposed nothing could go wrong. Plus, it wasn't like he'd do anything to his best friend and leader, after all.

It was some time later, after everyone had finished their meals, did they decide to leave the restaurant. Riven joined them on the way out, coming directly out of the restroom.

"So guys, I suppose that's that. Now I'm beat…" The prince sighed, looking to his once-was defendant with a smile. She was happy to be free, and he was too. "So Kuroka, what do you wanna' do now?"

"Hmm, I think I'll take up on your offer. Staying with you, I mean," she answered. "Besides, Shiro-chan is staying with you too, right? Then I want to stay over too!"

"Yeah, of course. I wouldn't mind," he nodded, ready to form a magic circle, until she tugged at his sleeve. "Hmm? What's up?"

"I… have a little request to ask of you…" Her laughter was, much to his surprise, soft. Shy, even. It could be compared to Shirone's usual demeanour. "O-Of course, you don't have to do it at all! It's just, I owe you for helping me and all, and—"

"Calm, Kuroka, calm," his words got through to her, effectively having her to cease her frantic outburst. "I don't even know what you're trying to say, so just tell me. I'll listen to your request, I promise."

"U-Umm, okay…" She nodded, averting her gaze from his eyes.

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow wondering just what it is that she wanted from him, but he was willing to listen to her.

And that night… well, I suppose a cliffhanger would do.

* * *

 **A/N: God, writing all of that was scary and difficult. It was hard enough to make sense of the ways a courtroom functions. I swear, never again will I listen to my friend** **'** **s request to write a courtroom scene.**

 **I honestly don** **'** **t even know what to say about it. Too weird? Too law-breaking? Makes no sense? I think it** **'** **s more of the last part, because crime is not my best suit, I think. In the end, though, I could only hope that it was humorous. (OuO** **'** **)**

 **Welp, I** **'** **ll see if I can improve that part next time in any future stories. But until then, have fun!**


End file.
